The decision, first reported by Fox News Digital and later confirmed by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Department of Homeland Security, affects several thousand individuals nationwide. USCIS sources said approximately 2,471 Somali nationals currently hold active TPS, with an additional 1,383 applications pending. Official USCIS data from mid-2025 placed the number of current beneficiaries closer to 705.
An estimated 600 Somali TPS holders live in Minnesota, which is home to one of the largest Somali-American communities in the country.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem defended the move, stating: “Temporary means temporary. Country conditions in Somalia have improved to the point that it no longer meets the law’s requirement for Temporary Protected Status.” She added: “Further, allowing Somali nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to our national interests. We are putting Americans first.”
Somalia was first designated for TPS in 1991 amid civil war and prolonged instability. The status was most recently extended under former President Joe Biden in September 2024, with protections scheduled to run through March 2026 before the current administration’s reversal.
The announcement comes amid heightened federal immigration enforcement in Minneapolis, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations tied to allegations of widespread fraud involving some members of the local Somali community. Federal officials have linked those efforts to a reported multi-billion-dollar fraud case in the state, though the TPS termination applies nationwide and is not limited to Minnesota.
A new report revealed that hundreds or millions of dollars were taken out of the country by Somali airline carriers via the Minneapolis airport.
State and local officials quickly condemned the decision. The cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul filed a lawsuit against the administration on Monday. At a press conference, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said: “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 added that DHS actions had “sown chaos and terror across the metropolitan area.”
The administration’s decision to end TPS for Somalia aligns with broader efforts to narrow immigration protections amid ongoing debates over national security, enforcement priorities, and community impact. Somali nationals who lose TPS protections may become eligible for deportation unless they qualify for another form of legal relief.
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