The U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, announced on Sunday that the federal government is preparing to “review” Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somali nationals. TPS is a program that shields immigrants from designated countries from deportation.
Speaking at Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport, Noem said the program “was always intended to be temporary,” adding that Somalia’s designation dates back more than three decades.
“It wasn’t designed to function as an asylum pathway. It was meant to respond to a crisis for a limited time. That’s what this reassessment is about,” she explained.
Trump’s statement sparks controversyLate Friday, former President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that he plans to “immediately” revoke TPS for Somali residents living in Minnesota. His declaration has unsettled the state’s long-established Somali community, the largest in the United States and raised legal questions about whether the President has the authority to make such a move.
The announcement drew swift criticism from state officials and immigration advocates.“There is no legal tool that lets a president end protected status for a specific community or state simply because he disagrees with them,” said Heidi Altman, policy director at the National Immigrant Justice Center.
She added, “This is typical Trump behavior, targeting immigrants without facts and trying to eliminate critical, life-saving protections.”
According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Somalia’s TPS designation remains in effect until March 17, 2026. That means the administration has until mid-January to rescind TPS nationwide for Somali nationals, following the required 60-day notice period.
However, only a very small number of Somalis would be directly affected. A congressional report released in August estimated that just 705 Somalis across the entire country are currently protected under TPS.
