The Trump administration has announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalia, ordering thousands of Somali nationals to leave the United States by March 17 or face deportation.
The directive, confirmed by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, marks a sharp reversal from the previous administration’s stance. The decision affects approximately 2,471 Somali nationals currently holding TPS status, along with another 1,383 individuals with pending applications, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
“Temporary means temporary,” Secretary Noem said in a statement first reported by Fox News Digital. She cited assessments indicating that conditions in the East African nation have stabilized enough to lose the designation, which protects foreign nationals from deportation if their home countries are unsafe due to armed conflict or natural disasters.
“Further, allowing Somali nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to our national interests,” Noem told the outlet. “We are putting Americans first.”
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Minnesota at the Center of the Crackdown
The revocation hits particularly hard in Minnesota, home to a significant Somali community. Sources within USCIS estimate that roughly 600 TPS holders currently reside in the state.
The move intensifies an already volatile standoff between federal authorities and Minnesota officials. The decision comes as DHS conducts large-scale Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Minneapolis, following allegations of a sprawling $9 billion fraud scheme involving members of the local Somali community.
Tensions reached a breaking point earlier this week when the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison publicly condemned the federal operations, accusing the administration of weaponizing law enforcement against the state.
“We allege that the obvious targeting of Minnesota for our diversity, for our democracy and our differences of opinion with the federal government is a violation of the Constitution and of federal law,” Ellison told reporters on Monday. He claimed that DHS agents have “sown chaos and terror across the metropolitan area.”
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Deadly Encounters and Civil Unrest
The policy shift arrives in the wake of a fatal incident involving ICE agents in South Minneapolis last week. Renee Nicole Good, 37, was shot and killed by an immigration officer after allegedly driving her vehicle toward agents.
While Noem labeled Good a “domestic terrorist” who “weaponized her vehicle,” local officials and residents have reacted with outrage. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey directed harsh language at federal agents during a press conference, telling ICE to leave the city, while Governor Tim Walz dismissed Noem’s account of the shooting as part of a “propaganda machine.” RELATED: Illinois And Minnesota Sue Trump Administration To Halt “Terrorizing” ICE Raids
Following the shooting, demonstrators erected homemade barricades to block the street where Good died, creating a zone with little local police presence. Despite the unrest, DHS has continued its enforcement operations, leading to clashes between agents and protesters.
A Decades-Long Policy Ends
Somalia was originally granted Temporary Protected Status in 1991 following the outbreak of civil war. The designation has been renewed repeatedly by successive administrations, with President Joe Biden most recently extending the protection in September 2024.
With the designation now rescinded, Somali nationals protected under the program must now make arrangements to depart the United States.
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