The Trump administration is hammering a federal judge for temporarily blocking its effort to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for South Sudan despite a recent Supreme Court decision that significantly narrowed lower courts’ authority to intervene.

U.S. District Judge Patti Saris on Thursday granted an administrative stay in African Communities Together v. Mullin , preserving TPS protections for South Sudanese nationals while she considers whether plaintiffs may amend their lawsuit and seek renewed relief on constitutional grounds.

The order temporarily freezes the administration’s Nov. 6, 2025, decision ending South Sudan’s TPS designation, keeping it «null, void, and of no legal effect» until jurisdiction returns to the 1st Circuit. Saris stressed that the order is a procedural measure to preserve the status quo while the court considers the plaintiffs’ latest filings and is not a ruling on the merits.

«Another rogue district judge just postponed the termination of TPS for South Sudan,» DHS general counsel James Percival wrote on X, slamming the decision. «This is open defiance of the Supreme Court, plain and simple!»

SUPREME COURT WEIGHS TRUMP EFFORT TO TERMINATE TEMPORARY PROTECTIONS FOR HAITIAN, SYRIAN MIGRANTS

Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at Advancing American Freedom, echoed that criticism, arguing Saris lacked authority to issue any relief after the Supreme Court’s recent TPS ruling.

«She has no right to ‘maintain the status quo,’» von Spakovsky told Fox News Digital. «No jurisdiction means no jurisdiction and under the applicable law, the only proper course of judicial action is to dismiss the lawsuits, explaining that based on the law and the Supreme Court’s decision, she has no jurisdiction to entertain any claims in her courtroom.»

He said the Supreme Court’s June decision in Mullin v. Doe reaffirmed that federal law largely bars courts from reviewing or blocking the government’s decisions to end Temporary Protected Status.

Although Mullin involved TPS terminations for Syrian and Haitian nationals, von Spakovsky said the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the TPS statute applies equally to South Sudan.

SUPREME COURT’S LATEST IMMIGRATION RULING WILL CAUSE AMERICANS TO ‘DIE AND SUFFER’ ATTORNEY WARNS

President Donald Trump speaks at Wheeler High School on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Marietta, Ga. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)

«These decisions on Sudanese nationals need to be overturned by the Supreme Court in emergency appeals and the judges need to be disciplined for their misconduct in refusing to follow the Supreme Court decision and the federal law that bans them from questioning decisions made by the executive branch on TPS status,» he said.

The criticism stems from the Supreme Court’s June 25 decision in Mullin v. Doe, in which a 6-3 majority held that the TPS statute bars courts from reviewing Administrative Procedure Act (APA) challenges to decisions designating or terminating Temporary Protected Status.

The ruling allowed constitutional Equal Protection claims to continue but blocked the APA claims that Saris had relied on in February to delay South Sudan’s TPS termination.

«The Supreme Court ruled that district courts lack jurisdiction to review terminations of temporary protected status. I’m confused why some district courts have not yet removed any remaining road blocks,» Eric Wessan, Iowa’s solicitor general, told Fox News Digital.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision, the Justice Department asked the 1st Circuit to reverse Saris’ February ruling. The plaintiffs did not oppose the request, instead asking the appeals court to return the case to the district court so they could amend their complaint and pursue only the constitutional claims the Supreme Court left intact. They then asked Saris to temporarily preserve South Sudan’s TPS protections while those claims moved forward, a request she granted Thursday.

BLUE STATE LEADERS ERUPT AFTER SUPREME COURT’S DECISION ENDING TPS PROTECTIONS FOR HAITIANS, SYRIANS

The lawsuit was filed in December 2025 by African Communities Together and four South Sudanese immigrants protected by TPS. They allege the Department of Homeland Security unlawfully ended South Sudan’s TPS designation without following required procedures and that the decision was motivated by unconstitutional discrimination.

Before the Supreme Court weighed in, Saris repeatedly ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. She first temporarily blocked the TPS termination in December 2025 before issuing a broader postponement in February, finding the plaintiffs were likely to succeed because DHS allegedly failed to follow required procedures, had already decided to end the designation, and offered what the court described as pretextual reasons for doing so.

The Trump administration appealed to the 1st Circuit in March, but Saris declined to stay her own order while the appeal proceeded. The case was later paused pending the Supreme Court’s resolution of related TPS disputes involving Haiti and Syria.

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Saris, who was nominated to the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts by President Bill Clinton in 1993, has presided over a number of high-profile immigration disputes involving both the Trump and Biden administrations.

DHS says Ahmed was first spotted on April 14 by an off-duty Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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The temporary order keeps South Sudan’s TPS protections in place for now, but the 1st Circuit and potentially the Supreme Court could soon weigh in on whether the district court has the power to do so after the justices’ recent TPS decision.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and to plaintiffs African Communities Together for comment.

Los enormes incendios forestales obligaron el viernes a la evacuación de unas 200.000 personas en el suroeste de Francia y el centro de España, y los residentes huyeron de pueblos cercanos a Madrid y Burdeos mientras las llamas se extendían sin control.

Los bomberos y las autoridades de ambos países europeos se vieron sorprendidos por la virulencia de los incendios, avivados por las altas temperaturas y los efectos a largo plazo del cambio climático. Los bomberos españoles admitieron que los incendios fueron tan rápidos y violentos que no pudieron ser combatidos directamente. Algunas personas incluso huyeron en barco cuando las llamas arrasaron la zona turística de la costa atlántica francesa.

Según el Ministerio del Interior francés, unas 141.000 personas huyeron de sus hogares en los departamentos de Gironda y Landas. En el centro de España, 60.000 personas se vieron obligadas a abandonar sus viviendas, según el Ministerio del Interior español.

Decenas de bomberos franceses resultaron heridos, según informaron las autoridades, pero no se registraron muertes en ninguno de los dos países, a pesar de las escenas de pánico que se vivieron cuando los habitantes huyeron en coche y la policía fue de puerta en puerta pidiendo a la gente que evacuara mientras grandes columnas de humo se elevaban desde los bosques vecinos.

El ministro del Interior francés, Laurent Núñez, declaró que el gran incendio forestal que asoló amplias zonas del suroeste de Francia se dirige hacia la ciudad de Burdeos.

En declaraciones al canal de televisión francés Tf1, Núñez afirmó que el incendio forestal que horas antes había obligado a evacuar la península de Cap Ferret arrasó 140 kilómetros cuadrados, con 110.000 personas huyendo de sus hogares en la región de la Gironda.

“A media tarde supimos que, tras el cambio de dirección del viento, se había convertido en un gran incendio autosostenible, extremadamente difícil de controlar”, declaró Núñez. “Ahora se dirige hacia el este, hacia el área metropolitana de Burdeos. Vamos a reorganizar nuestra respuesta para combatirlo desde tierra e impedir que avance hacia Burdeos”.

Mientras tanto, el presidente francés, Emmanuel Macron, solicitó al primer ministro Sébastien Lecornu que active la unidad de respuesta a la crisis del Gobierno y ordenó a las fuerzas armadas que se movilicen para proporcionar el máximo refuerzo posible a los servicios civiles de emergencia.

“Este incendio, con el que llevamos tres días conviviendo y luchando aquí en Gironda, alcanzó una magnitud sin precedentes”, declaró Sophie Brocas, prefecta de Nueva Aquitania. “Para combatirlo, recibiremos refuerzos nacionales de suma importancia”.

El incendio se originó el miércoles cerca de la península de Cap Ferret, en la costa atlántica francesa, a 60 kilómetros de Burdeos. Las autoridades locales del departamento de Gironda informaron que 53 viviendas y un camping quedaron destruidos, y que 42 bomberos resultaron heridos. Alrededor de 1.500 personas que huyeron de la península llegaron por mar a la ciudad de Arcachon, algunas a bordo de pequeños taxis acuáticos y otras en embarcaciones más grandes.

“Es bastante impresionante e incluso aterrador”, dijo Laurent Moretti, residente de Arès. “Nunca antes se había producido una evacuación de esta magnitud. Lo único que esperamos es que los bomberos puedan controlarlo rápidamente».

Otro incendio forestal se desató en Landes, provocando la evacuación de 31.000 personas. Las autoridades creen que ambos incendios en Francia fueron accidentales.

El jueves ya se habían evacuado más de 20.000 personas de pueblos y centros turísticos, pero esa cifra se disparó el viernes cuando Francia y España pidieron ayuda a otros miembros de la Unión Europea.

Macron anunció que Francia recibirá refuerzos de la UE, entre ellos dos aviones de extinción de incendios Canadair croatas, dos aviones Air Tractor portugueses y dos helicópteros Black Hawk de carga pesada procedentes de la República Checa y Eslovaquia. El ministro del Interior español, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, informó que Italia y Grecia enviarán cada una dos aviones Canadair para el lanzamiento de agua, mientras que mil soldados españoles colaboraron en las labores de extinción de incendios.

El Gobierno español declaró por primera vez el estado de emergencia nacional por incendios forestales, ya que los incendios en Madrid y la cercana provincia de Ávila provocaron la evacuación de unas 60.000 personas de localidades al oeste de la capital.

“Quiero enviar un mensaje de apoyo a las miles de familias que se enfrentan a una noche difícil”, escribió en la red social X el presidente español, Pedro Sánchez, que visitará la zona devastada por el fuego el sábado. Los incendios se ven avivados por una ola de calor con temperaturas que se prevé superen los 39°C (102° F).

Dos grandes incendios cerca de Madrid se fusionaron en uno solo que, para la tarde del viernes, había arrasado rápidamente 30 kilómetros cuadrados (11,5 millas cuadradas). La presidenta regional, Isabel Díaz-Ayuso, lo calificó como el peor incendio en la historia de Madrid.

Francisco Martín, representante del gobierno central para la Comunidad de Madrid, informó que otras 20.000 personas recibieron la orden de permanecer en sus hogares. Martín indicó que podrían producirse más evacuaciones y que la prioridad ahora era proteger la localidad de San Lorenzo, donde se encuentra El Escorial, el palacio real y monasterio del siglo XVI de Felipe II.

Mientras tanto, un incendio en Ávila, a menos de dos horas al noroeste de Madrid, arrasó 90 kilómetros cuadrados. La Guardia Civil española detuvo a un hombre e investiga a otro por presuntamente haber utilizado maquinaria pesada en una zona donde estaba prohibido por riesgo de incendio. La policía cree que una chispa provocó el incendio el jueves.

“Había humo y fuego por todo el pueblo, tenía miedo. Todo era fuego y humo, la gente estaba nerviosa”, dijo Joaquín Espinosa, de 33 años, antes de que él y sus vecinos fueran evacuados del pueblo de Chapinería.

En una semana, España ha sufrido los peores incendios de su historia tanto en la región de Castilla-La Mancha como en la de Madrid.

Los bomberos seguían intentando extinguir el segundo mayor incendio de la historia de España, en la provincia de Castilla-La Mancha, cerca de Guadalajara, que había arrasado unos 320 kilómetros cuadrados (120 millas cuadradas) durante la última semana. Trece personas también perdieron la vida en un incendio en el sur de España a principios de este mes, el incendio más mortífero que se recuerda en el país en los últimos tiempos.

La ministra española para la Transición Ecológica, Sara Aagesen, afirmó que España ya vio quemarse 1.140 kilómetros cuadrados este año, más de cinco veces la superficie quemada durante la primera mitad de 2025. España experimentó temperaturas récord en los últimos veranos e incendios forestales de creciente violencia.

El analista de incendios forestales Raúl Quilez afirmó que, además del impacto del cambio climático, las zonas rurales de España se han vuelto más vulnerables a los incendios debido al abandono de las tierras de cultivo que tradicionalmente servían de zonas de protección alrededor de los pueblos. Ahora, explicó, los árboles y la maleza a menudo llegan hasta las viviendas, poniéndolas en peligro.

“Esa es la combinación perfecta para este tipo de incendios”, dijo Quilez a The Associated Press por teléfono desde Valencia, donde trabaja como analista para los bomberos regionales.

(Associated Press)

President Donald Trump struck a more conciliatory tone Friday at the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner, scrapping the combative speech he had prepared before an assassination attempt upended the annual event in April. The rewrite emphasized unity and gratitude, though the president still couldn’t resist slipping in a few familiar jabs at the press while insisting: «The show must go on.»

Trump returned to the stage just months after gunfire abruptly ended the organization’s annual banquet. An armed suspect, Cole Allen, stormed the event in what authorities say was an attempt to assassinate the president.

«The speech that I had ready just a short while. Oh, that was going to be a doozy. I was so psyched. I was going to rip people. And I don’t know, just something changed it — really for the better. But I just wouldn’t want to do that,» Trump said to a room full of journalists and government officials.

«But we’ll do a little ripping, if you don’t mind. But it is true. I said, how do we handle this is going to be a different kind of evening. And it is. And in many ways it’s a more beautiful evening, actually,» he added.

TRUMP HEADS BACK TO CORRESPONDENTS’ DINNER MONTHS AFTER GUNFIRE FORCED EVACUATION

Trump teed up his typical walk-out song — Lee Greenwood’s «God Bless the U.S.A.» — and quickly jumped into joking about seeking a third term before striking a more serious chord as he thanked the Secret Service for its work, not only during the attack at the original Correspondents’ Dinner, but for protecting him every day.

He delivered a speech that went longer than expected, talking for an hour and four minutes.

«Just like my presidency, the second time is always better. It’s always better, and the third time will be better yet. I’m only kidding,» Trump said to some chuckles throughout the room. 

The president said he could not deliver the same speech he had planned for the first dinner, «ripping» the press, but said «it was for the better» that he changed his remarks for the second time around.

COLE ALLEN INDICTED BY GRAND JURY ON FOUR CHARGES RELATED TO ALLEGED TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

He made various jokes aimed at not just Democrats but his own cabinet members.

«I hope that everyone finally got to enjoy their entire very delicious beef tenderloins, very special beef. And I want you all to know that Bobby Kennedy, who’s right here personally, ran over the cow and his car,» said Trump.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and US President Donald Trump attend the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, DC. (Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images)

TRUMP HEADS BACK TO CORRESPONDENTS’ DINNER MONTHS AFTER GUNFIRE FORCED EVACUATION

He took aim at California Governor Gavin Newsom, former vice president Kamala Harris, possible 2028 presidential candidate Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker among other Democratic lawmakers and candidates.

» You can’t have somebody like a J.B. Pritzker who I understand is not president, sadly. But, you know, some people say never used a fat word. And I know I would never call anybody fat,» said Trump.

«I have my own problems, you know, it’s not like I’m perfect, sir. In the back. Don’t call him a fat pig, okay? That’s. I’m sticking up for him. Don’t call him you. You can’t do that, sir. You can’t call J.B. Pritzker a fat pig,» said Trump.

Trump mocked Chuck Schumer’s criticism of Israel and his increasingly vocal positions on the Israel-Hamas war.

«I’m going to send him a beautiful Palestinian outfit tomorrow so he can greet Bibi Netanyahu when he comes to town next week,» joked Trump.

He used the moment to call for term limits, saying, «all joking aside, I do think we need term limits in Congress.»

«The other day, a senator I knew got a text… ‘When you get home, I want to have you immediately come up the stairs and make love to me.’ And he said, ‘I can’t do both,» joked Trump, saying that he can’t both walk upstairs and have sex—he only has enough energy for one of those activities.

US President Donald Trump wears a «Trump 2028» hat while he speaks during the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) Dinner. (Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images)

The WHCA honored U.S. Secret Service Officer Victor Gonzales during Friday’s dinner in recognition of his actions in helping stop Allen from entering the ballroom.

The computer scientist from Torrance, California, traveled from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. by Amtrak after purchasing a one-way ticket. Court filings say he sent a manifesto to family and friends shortly before the attack, describing political motivations and apologizing for his actions.

Allen has pleaded not guilty to charges including attempting to assassinate the president, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, transporting a firearm across state lines and assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon.

«The attempted mass murder at the Washington Hilton, that’s what it could have been, was an assault on our democracy itself,» Trump said in his speech, which spanned from jabs at Democrats, the press and some jokes at the expense of his own Cabinet.

PHOTO OF TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT SUSPECT COLE ALLEN IN HOTEL ROOM RELEASED AS DOJ SEEKS TO KEEP HIM JAILED

Israeli-US magician Oz «Oz the Mentalist» Pearlman performs during the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.  (Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images)

«One officer placed himself directly in harm’s way and engaged the armed suspect, even after gunfire struck his protective vest. He stayed in the fight and the attacker was stopped,» said Weijia Jiang, former WHCA president presenting the award to Gonzales.

«I know many of us have wondered. What if he hadn’t acted in that exact way? What if he had waited a few more seconds? His courage that night reflects the core values of Secret Service duty, justice, courage, honesty and loyalty, and as a commitment to safeguarding his country and community,» said Jiang.

During the speech, Trump highlighted his White House Ballroom following heat for the $200 million project, pointing to the lawsuits.

FIRST ON FOX: WHITE HOUSE REVEALS WHO’S JOINING TRUMP AT CORRESPONDENTS’ DINNER — AND WHO CAN’T ATTEND

«In light of what we went through, I think, people understand it. It’s going to be amazing, a phenomenal one of the biggest drone ports anywhere in the world,» Trump said, referencing gunfire at the first WHCA Dinner.

Trump said that he «predicts» the WHCA would use the space for future dinners.

Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. arrives for the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) Dinner,. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)

He also vowed to attemd next year’s WHCA dinner.

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«They said, ‘Would you do it next year?’ I said, ‘I will be back next year,’» Trump said. «Now, if you get really, really nasty, maybe not. I don’t know. But we’re going to be back next year.»

In his closing remarks, Trump said he has a «scoop» for the press announcing he is running for the fourth time.

He put on a red «TRUMP 2028» hat.