Trump’s threat to revoke immigration protections alarms Minnesota’s Somali community

President Donald Trump’s plan to end Temporary Protected Status for Somalis in Minnesota has sparked alarm and even panic among many in Minnesota’s Somali community, the largest in the U.S.

The move could return hundreds of refugees to Somalia, putting them at risk of injury or death, said Abdiqani Jabane, a local immigration attorney.

Although the majority of Somalis in Minnesota are U.S. citizens or lawful residents and not directly affected by TPS, fear within the community is real. Many Somalis are in “a panic” and some are even talking about leaving Minnesota for another state, Jabane said.

“Sending anyone back to Somalia today is unsafe because al-Shabab remains active, terrorist attacks continue and the [Somali] government today is unable to protect anyone,” he said.

Al-Shabab is defined as a terrorist group by the U.S. State Department and controls parts of the East African country.

TPS is a legal status granted by the Department of Homeland Security allowing foreign nationals to live in the United States if returning to their home country puts them in harm’s way. Somalia’s status has been in effect since 1991 amid civil war and instability, but it is due to expire in March.

There were about 430 Somalis in the state with TPS protections as of 2023, according to the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota. Nationwide, there were 705 Somalis living in the United States with Temporary Protected Status as of March 31, according to a Congressional Research Service report.

The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said ending deportation protections for Somali immigrants in Minnesota “will tear families apart” and called on the president to reverse his decision.

“This decision, fueled by harmful misinformation campaigns that we believe have external political motives, will tear families apart and send individuals to a country they have not known for over 20 years,” the group’s executive director, Jaylani Hussein, said in a statement. “This is not just a bureaucratic change; it is a political attack on the Somali and Muslim community driven by Islamophobic and hateful rhetoric.”

Trump’s social media post on Friday followed a conservative group’s report alleging money is flowing from Minnesota to al-Shabab. Jabane said he believes Trump is singling out Somalis in Minnesota because of ongoing fraud accusations in which Somali businesses have been accused of stealing millions from the state Department of Human Services.

The state has been the focus of several federal investigations targeting fraud in programs meant to provide emergency housing, food support and autism care. The $250 million Feeding our Future scandal led to charges against more than 70 defendants, most with ties to Somali community-based programs.

“He’s targeting [Somalis] because it’s guilt by association. He’s heard some Somalis have committed fraud and he’s attacking,” Jabane said. “We expect that this arbitrary decision will be met with legal challenges.”

“The president doesn’t have the power to remove TPS immediately,” Jabane said.

Federal law says the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security must publish notice in the Federal Register if TPS is being revoked.

“Termination may not take effect earlier than 60 days after publication or the expiration of the most recent previous extension, whichever is later,” according to the Congressional Research Service — meaning the existing expiration date, March 17, is likely the earliest Somalia’s status can be revoked.

“There is literally no legal means by which he can do this,” Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow with the American Immigration Council advocacy group, posted on X. “DHS may make an attempt to do this, but it would be immediately struck down.”

Nevertheless, Jabane said he expects Homeland Security officials will attempt to follow through with Trump’s threats. It doesn’t matter that there is nothing connecting the people with deportation protections to the suspected fraud, he said.