United States President Donald Trump on Friday announced the immediate termination of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) granted to Somali immigrants residing in Minnesota, presenting the move as part of his administration’s intensified efforts to curb crime.
In a statement posted on his Truth Social platform, Trump declared that he was “hereby terminating, effective immediately, the Temporary Protected Status (TPS Program) for Somalis in Minnesota,” while accusing “Somali gangs” of endangering residents. He added: “Send them back to where they came from. It’s OVER!”
TPS offers deportation relief and work authorization to people whose home countries are considered unsafe due to conflict, natural disasters or other extraordinary conditions. Minnesota is home to one of the world’s largest Somali diaspora communities outside East Africa, many of whom arrived during or after Somalia’s prolonged civil conflict.
Congressional records show that as of March 31, about 705 Somalis held approved TPS applications, while the Department of Homeland Security had estimated that an additional 4,300 individuals could become newly eligible if the status were extended.
Somalis were first granted TPS in 1991, with the most recent extension issued in July 2024 due to continued instability, including the long-standing insurgency by the Al-Qaeda-linked group Al-Shabaab and a renewed militant offensive earlier this year.
The Trump administration has been rolling back humanitarian protections across several nationalities, including Haitians, Afghans, South Sudanese and Venezuelans. Many of these decisions have already drawn court challenges, and legal experts expect the latest Somali TPS termination to face similar scrutiny.
Separately, the administration has proposed cutting the U.S. refugee admissions cap to 7,500 for fiscal year 2026 — a dramatic reduction from the more than 100,000 annual admissions authorised under former President Joe Biden.
In the same post, Trump criticised Minnesota’s Democratic Governor Tim Walz, accusing him of unspecified “laundering activity,” though he provided no evidence. He also continued his long-standing attacks on Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar, a Somalia-born Democrat he has previously told to “go back” to her country.
