The Trump administration has terminated temporary protected status (TPS) for Somalis living in the United States, giving hundreds of people two months to leave the country or face deportation. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said conditions in Somalia had improved sufficiently, adding that allowing Somali nationals to remain was 'contrary to our national interests'. Official data shows 705 Somali nationals currently hold TPS; their status expires on 17 March.
President Donald Trump also announced plans to revoke US citizenship from naturalised immigrants convicted of defrauding 'our citizens', referring specifically to Somali nationals. Speaking in Detroit, he did not provide further details. The administration has previously targeted Minnesota, home to a large Somali community, with claims of fraud and 'Somali gangs'.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned the move as a 'bigoted attack' that would send Somalis back to a war-torn nation. 'This decision does not reflect changed conditions in Somalia,' said CAIR. The group noted that Somalia remains plagued by al-Shabaab violence, drought and humanitarian crises, according to UN reports.
Temporary protected status was first granted to Somalis in 1991 during the civil war and had been repeatedly renewed, most recently by Joe Biden in September 2024 through March 2026. The Congressional Research Service reported that the Somali TPS population is 705 out of nearly 1.3 million TPS immigrants in the US. Trump has ended protections for multiple countries.
Meanwhile, Minneapolis and St Paul have filed a lawsuit alleging that Minnesota is being targeted for its diversity. The case follows the fatal shooting of American citizen Renee Good by a federal immigration agent in south Minneapolis, which sparked nationwide protests.
