President Donald Trump’s latest immigration policy move has sent shockwaves through communities across the United States as thousands of Somali nationals face an uncertain future.
The White House has announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalia, a designation that has shielded many since the country’s central government collapsed in January 1991.
This decision affects approximately 2,500 Somali TPS holders, with nearly 1,400 having pending applications, and requires them to leave the U.S. by March 17.
About 24% of these individuals reside in Minnesota, a state recently under scrutiny for immigration enforcement and fraud allegations involving Somali individuals.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the policy shift to Fox News, while Immigration and Customs Enforcement has conducted deportation operations in Minnesota in recent weeks.
A photo from January 8, 2026, captured U.S. Border Patrol agents detaining a man of Somali descent in Minneapolis. Additionally, a separate image from December 5, 2025, showed men at a Friday prayer in a Minneapolis Islamic center amid reported federal operations targeting the community.
The decision to end TPS for Somalia has ignited fierce discussion across the political spectrum. Supporters of the move argue it’s a necessary step to address long-standing issues with immigration enforcement and fraud, while opponents see it as a harsh measure against a vulnerable population.
Somalia, described as one of the world’s poorest and most dangerous nations, has been destabilized by clan divisions, insurgent groups, and humanitarian crises for decades.
President Trump has been vocal about the situation, tying the deportations to broader crime and fraud concerns. “They stole $18 billion, that's just what we're learning about,” he said, referencing the Minnesota fraud cases, the Daily Mail reported.
Such staggering figures fuel the argument that oversight and enforcement must take precedence.
The Somali community in Minnesota, already reeling from the fraud scandal implicating state leaders, faces added pressure with these immigration actions.
The outcry over the scandal even led Minnesota’s Democratic Gov. Tim Walz to abandon his reelection bid last week. Add to that an incident involving an ICE officer shooting an unarmed woman, and the state has become a lightning rod for national attention.
Trump has doubled down on his stance, framing the deportations as a public safety win. “We're getting rid of a lot of people that are criminals that shouldn't be in our country,” he declared on Tuesday morning.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Somali-born congresswoman representing parts of Minneapolis, has loudly and publicly challenged Trump’s targeting of her community.
