U.S. ending temporary protected status for Somalis

The federal government is ending temporary protected status for Somalis in the United States, potentially affecting hundreds of people across the U.S. and Minnesota.

The Department of Homeland Security announced the move on Jan. 13, giving Somali people with a protected status until March 17 to leave the United States. Tuesday’s announcement follows weeks of escalating Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions affecting migrants and citizens in Minnesota — the state which hosts the nation’s largest Somali population.

“Our message is clear. Go back to your own country, or we’ll send you back ourselves,” DHS said in a social media post. “[Gov. Tim Walz] has refused to cooperate with ICE and released nearly 470 criminal illegal aliens back onto the streets of Minnesota to terrorize Americans. It is common sense. Criminal illegal aliens should not be released back onto our streets.”

“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,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement.

A 2023 report found that more than 400 Somali people in Minnesota have temporary protected status, compared with around 700 Somalis with such status spread across the nation.

Responding to a social media statement by President Donald Trump, Gov. Tim Walz said the president’s action is dangerous.

“Trump admits that this is nothing but political retribution,” Walz said in a social media post. “Minnesota voted against him three times and now he’s punishing us – putting lives at risk and wasting enormous resources in the process."

“Given Somalia’s continued instability, this termination is likely to face legal challenges, similar to the recent attempt to end TPS for South Sudan, which a federal judge temporarily blocked. In the meantime, Somali families are living with fear, uncertainty, and the prospect of life-altering disruption,” Jabane said in a statement.

Many Somali immigrants moved to Minnesota for social connections, a strong network of refugee resettlement agencies and for the state’s welcoming reputation. Economic opportunities have kept them here. Nearly all Somalis in Minnesota are citizens or legal residents, and a few hundred reside in the state with Temporary Protected Status, which was first granted to Somali refugees in 1991.

Minneapolis members of the Minnesota House of Representatives voiced support for Somali nationals in a statement Tuesday, adding that the move to rescind TPS departs from decades of policy.

“These decisions place long-standing Minnesota residents—who have lived, worked, and raised families here legally—at immediate risk of losing their lawful status and being forced into uncertainty,” the statement read.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday weighed in on the situation in Minnesota in a Truth Social post, which decried former President Joe Biden’s border policy and defended ICE agents’ deployment in Minnesota. Hundreds clashed with ICE agents outside a Somali strip mall in St. Cloud on Jan. 12 before officials announced 1,000 more federal officers are headed to Minnesota.

The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations held a news conference on Jan. 13 decrying the U.S. government’s move.

CAIR-MN Executive Director Jaylani Hussein said TPS is a lifeline for hundreds of Somalis.