President Donald Trump’s administration is ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalia, ordering thousands of Somali migrants to leave the United States by March 17, including hundreds currently living in Minnesota.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the designation no longer meets the statutory requirements under federal law.
Noem emphasized that TPS was never intended to be permanent.
“Temporary means temporary,” Noem told Fox News.
“Country conditions in Somalia have improved to the point that it no longer meets the law’s requirement for Temporary Protected Status.”
She added that continued extensions conflict with national priorities.
“Further, allowing Somali nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to our national interests.
“We are putting Americans first.”
According to the Department of Homeland Security, 2,471 Somali nationals are currently residing in the U.S. under TPS, with an additional 1,383 applications pending.
DHS estimates that roughly 600 of those recipients live in Minnesota.
“FEAR NOT, GREAT PEOPLE OF MINNESOTA, THE DAY OF RECKONING & RETRIBUTION IS COMING!” 🚨🔥 pic.twitter.com/OUOEZwOrH0
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 13, 2026
Somalia was first granted TPS in 1991 amid the country’s prolonged civil war.
The designation was repeatedly extended over the decades, most recently by the Biden administration in September 2024.
The decision comes as federal authorities continue a major immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis following the exposure of what prosecutors describe as a massive fraud network that could total as much as $9 billion.
Dozens of criminal cases have already been filed, many tied to federally funded programs operating in Minnesota.
State and local officials have pushed back against the administration’s actions.
The cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, along with the state of Minnesota, recently filed suit against the federal government over the enforcement operation.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison accused DHS of selectively targeting the state.
“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 said at a news conference.
Ellison also claimed that the presence of federal agents had caused instability across the Twin Cities, an assertion DHS officials dispute.
Tensions escalated further last week after activist Renee Nicole Good, 37, was fatally shot by an ICE agent during an enforcement action in south Minneapolis.
Noem confirmed the agent acted in self-defense after Good rammed him with her vehicle.
The secretary described Good as having “weaponized her vehicle” after blocking agents in the roadway.
Video footage shows an agent approaching Good’s SUV and ordering her to exit before the vehicle moved forward.
According to Noem, Good attempted to run over an officer, prompting the agent to fire multiple shots.
Following the shooting, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey publicly told ICE to leave the city, while Gov. Tim Walz criticized Noem’s public statements about the incident.
In the days that followed, agitators erected makeshift barricades around the shooting site, creating a no-go zone as federal operations continued elsewhere in the city.
With TPS now terminated for Somalia, thousands of Somali nationals face a firm deadline to depart the United States or seek alternative legal status, as Minnesota remains a focal point of the Trump administration’s broader immigration enforcement strategy.
READ MORE – Somali Daycare ‘Quality Learing Center’ Mysteriously Shutters, Minnesota Records Reveal
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