The Trump administration has moved to strip legal protections from Somali nationals living in the United States, ordering hundreds to leave the country within two months or face potential deportation.
"Temporary Means Temporary": Homeland Security Justifies Decision
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalia in a statement on 8 January. Speaking at a press conference at One World Trade Center in New York, Noem asserted that conditions in the East African nation had improved enough that it no longer qualified for the designation under US law.
"Temporary means temporary," Noem wrote, adding that allowing Somali nationals to remain was "contrary to our national interests." She concluded, "We are putting Americans first."
A Long-Standing Protection Withdrawn
Temporary Protected Status is granted by the Department of Homeland Security to foreign nationals who cannot safely return home due to armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary conditions. It permits them to live and work legally in the US.
Somalia was first granted TPS in 1991 by the administration of George H.W. Bush during its devastating civil war. The status has been renewed repeatedly by successive administrations, most recently by Joe Biden in September 2024, who extended it through March 2026.
According to official US Citizenship and Immigration Services data from August 2025, the decision affects 705 Somali nationals currently holding TPS. They have until 17 March before their status expires. However, anonymous immigration sources cited by Fox News Digital, which first reported the withdrawal, gave higher figures of approximately 2,471 current beneficiaries and another 1,383 pending applications.
Political Context and Widespread Criticism
The move follows Donald Trump's announcement in November of his intention to end protections. On his Truth Social platform, Trump claimed, "Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State, and BILLIONS of Dollars are missing. Send them back to where they came from. It’s OVER!"
The administration has previously used issues with fraud in Minnesota—home to a large Somali community—as a pretext to send a surge of immigration officers into the state. Trump has referred to Somalis as "garbage" and echoed unverified Republican claims linking fraud in Minnesota to the militant group al-Shabaab, allegations that remain unsubstantiated.
This aggressive stance has sparked significant backlash. Just yesterday, the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul filed a lawsuit alleging the state is being targeted for its diversity and political differences with the federal government. State Attorney General Keith Ellison claimed, "DHS agents have sown chaos and terror across the metropolitan area."
Tensions were further inflamed last week when American citizen Renee Good was fatally shot in the head by a federal immigration agent during an operation in south Minneapolis, sparking nationwide protests.
Human rights organisations and UN reports warn that returning people to Somalia places them at severe risk. The country remains plagued by:
- Persistent violence from al-Shabaab militants.
- Severe drought conditions.
- Widespread humanitarian crises displacing millions internally.
The decision to end TPS for Somalis marks a significant hardening of US immigration policy, prioritising a strict interpretation of "temporary" status over ongoing humanitarian concerns.
