A group of Somali immigrants and advocacy organizations filed a federal lawsuit in the District of Massachusetts today, seeking to halt the government’s plan to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalia.
The legal challenge aims to postpone the March 17, 2026, expiration date of the program, which currently protects thousands of individuals from being returned to a nation struggling with active armed conflict and a severe humanitarian crisis.
The plaintiffs include African Communities Together (ACT), the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA), and four individual Somali TPS holders and applicants. They are represented by Muslim Advocates, the Haitian Bridge Alliance, and the Legal Defense Fund.
The lawsuit alleges that the administration’s decision to terminate the designation was not based on an objective assessment of country conditions, but was instead driven by a discriminatory agenda targeting non-white and non-European nations.
TPS is a humanitarian program authorized by Congress to provide work permits and protection from deportation for people whose home countries are deemed unsafe due to natural disasters or war. For years, the U.S. has maintained Somalia’s designation because of the threat posed by the paramilitary group Al-Shabaab, extreme climate events, and widespread food insecurity. The lawsuit argues that these conditions persist today, making any forced return life-threatening.
The complaint points to a pattern of terminating protections for immigrants from Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean while simultaneously proposing easier entry for white refugees, such as Afrikaners from South Africa. It also cites recent public statements from President Trump, who has referred to the Somali community in Minnesota using derogatory terms such as “garbage” and “low I.Q.,” as evidence of racial bias in policy-making.
“Somali community members have built deep roots here—raising families, working, contributing to their communities—while their home country has remained in crisis for decades,” said Amaha Kassa, Executive Director of ACT. “The government had a legal obligation to conduct the statutorily required periodic review process for Somalia. It failed that obligation, and we are in court to say so.”
Ramla Sahid, Executive Director of PANA, noted that the looming deadline has already created a “climate of terror,” with families avoiding medical appointments and fearing separation. Legal representatives argue that the termination would lead to irreparable harm, including the loss of work authorization and the potential for families to be torn apart.
“The termination of TPS for Somalia is racism masking as immigration policy,” said Omar Farah, Executive Director at Muslim Advocates. “The administration cannot point to a legally sufficient country conditions review for Somalia—or for the many other communities it has targeted—to sustain the termination.”
The outcome of the case will determine whether thousands of Somalis can remain in the U.S. or if they will face deportation proceedings when their current protections expire next week.
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