The Department of Homeland Security has revoked Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for thousands of Somali nationals living in the United States, including several hundred residents of Minnesota, marking a significant shift in federal immigration policy under the Trump administration.
Somalis were first granted TPS in 1991 after civil war and political instability made conditions in the country unsafe for return. The designation allows nationals of certain countries to live and work in the United States temporarily when conditions in their home countries prevent safe return. Most recently, TPS protections for Somalis were extended by former President Joe Biden in September 2024.
Under the new decision, Somali nationals living in the United States under TPS have until March 17 to leave the country.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said the administration determined that conditions in Somalia no longer meet the legal threshold required for the designation. “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,” Noem said in a statement to National Review. “Further, allowing Somali nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to our national interests. We are putting Americans first.”
According to DHS figures cited by the administration, there are currently 2,471 Somali nationals living in the United States under TPS, with approximately 600 residing in Minnesota. The state is home to one of the largest Somali communities in the country.
The policy change comes amid heightened scrutiny of Minnesota’s Somali population following federal investigations into alleged welfare fraud. Prosecutors have said organized fraud rings exploited Covid-era aid programs, Medicare, and other social service systems, resulting in the theft of hundreds of millions of dollars in public funds in recent years. Authorities have stated that members of these schemes targeted federal and state assistance programs rather than the broader community.
At the same time, DHS has expanded Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations across Minnesota. The increased federal presence has prompted legal action from state and local officials. Minneapolis and St. Paul have filed suit against the Trump administration, challenging what they describe as an unprecedented surge in federal immigration enforcement.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced the lawsuit at a news conference on Monday. “We’re here to announce a lawsuit we’re filing against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to end the unlawful, unprecedented surge of the federal law enforcement agents into Minnesota,” Ellison said.
Ellison argued that the state is being disproportionately targeted. He alleged that Minnesota is under scrutiny because of its “diversity, for our democracy and our differences of opinion with the federal government.”
Tensions escalated further in recent days following protests in Minneapolis over the death of Renee Nicole Good, who was killed during an ICE operation. According to DHS, Good, a member of a local “ICE Watch” group, blocked a residential street by parking her vehicle perpendicular to the roadway while officers were conducting an enforcement action. DHS says that after ignoring multiple commands to exit her vehicle, she drove toward an ICE officer who was approaching from the front. The officer fired three shots into the vehicle, which DHS stated was an act of self-defense.
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