The Trump administration has announced it will end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somali immigrants, affecting about 2,500 people nationwide, including several hundred in Minnesota. The decision means Somali TPS holders will lose their legal status and work authorisation by March 17, making them eligible for deportation.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said conditions in Somalia have improved and no longer meet the legal threshold for TPS. “Temporary means temporary,” she said, adding that allowing Somali nationals to remain in the US is “contrary to our national interests.”
TPS, created by Congress in 1990, allows migrants from countries affected by war or disaster to live and work legally in the US. Somalia was first designated for TPS in 1991 due to civil war, and the status has been renewed by successive administrations, most recently by President Joe Biden for 18 months ending in March.
The move comes amid heightened immigration enforcement in Minnesota, home to a large Somali diaspora. The administration has also sought to end TPS for migrants from countries such as Haiti, Venezuela, Afghanistan, and Nepal, though some efforts have been blocked by US courts.
The decision has drawn criticism from immigrant rights groups, who warn it could destabilise families and communities, while supporters say it aligns with President Donald Trump’s “America First” immigration agenda.
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