On Friday, President Trump announced the termination of deportation protections for Somali immigrants residing in Minnesota. Through a post on his Truth Social platform, he declared that the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalis in the state would be “terminated effective immediately.”
Trump made unsubstantiated claims that “Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State” and accused Minnesota Governor Tim Walz of presiding over a state that has become a “hub of fraudulent money laundering activity.” He added, “Send them back to where they came from. It’s OVER!”
Governor Walz responded on social media, stating, “It’s not surprising that the President has chosen to broadly target an entire community. This is what he does to change the subject.” Further details regarding the decision were not provided by the President.
The TPS program is a federal initiative allowing migrants from unstable nations to live and work legally in the United States. Currently, Somalia’s TPS designation is valid until March 17, 2026, as noted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. As of March 31, there are 705 Somali immigrants in the U.S. approved for TPS, with Minnesota housing the largest Somali population in the country, according to the Associated Press.
The Trump administration has also sought to end TPS protections for nationals from Afghanistan, Venezuela, Syria, and South Sudan, facing considerable legal challenges in those instances.
Republican Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth expressed her approval of Trump’s recognition of the “seriousness of the fraud problem” in the state. She stated, “The unfortunate reality is that far too many individuals who were welcomed into this country have abused the trust and support that was extended to them, and Minnesota taxpayers have suffered billions of dollars in consequences as a result,” although she did not provide evidence for her claims.
In contrast, Jaylani Hussein, president of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, condemned the decision, expressing deep disappointment. He described the ending of the Somali TPS program as a “political attack on the Somali and Muslim community driven by Islamophobic and hateful rhetoric,” and urged Trump to reverse this “misguided decision.”
Somalis in Minnesota have faced persistent attacks from right-wing media, which has spread misinformation and disinformation about the community. For instance, Alpha News reported an unsubstantiated claim alleging that Somalis send money to Al-Shabaab, without providing any evidence to support this assertion.
