President Donald Trump’s administration announced on Tuesday that it is ending Temporary Protected Status for Somali nationals currently living in the United States. The administration confirmed that Somali nationals will need to leave the United States after the Temporary Protected Status designation expires on March 17.
In a Tuesday statement on X, formerly Twitter, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said, “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.”
“Allowing Somali nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to our national interests,” Noem added. “We are putting Americans first.”
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services also confirmed in a press release on Tuesday that the Trump administration would be terminating Somalia’s designation for Temporary Protected Status.
Fox News reported that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services sources told the outlet that there are currently 2,471 Somali nationals living in the United States as part of the Temporary Protected Status program. The sources claimed that there are an additional 1,383 Somali Nationals in the United States with pending applications for Temporary Protected Status.
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According to Fox News, the United States granted Temporary Protection Status for Somalia in 1991 due to a civil war in the country. The outlet noted that former President Joe Biden last extended Somalia’s Temporary Protected Status designation in September of 2024.
“Somalia’s designation expires March 17, 2026,” U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services stated in Tuesday’s press release. “At least 60 days before a TPS designation expires, the Secretary of Homeland Security, after consultation with appropriate U.S. government agencies, must review the country to determine whether the conditions supporting its designation continue to be met and, if so, how long to extend the designation.”
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services advised Somali nationals who do not have another legal status that would allow them to continue living in the United States to use U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s CBP Home app to self-deport from the United States.
“The app is a safe, secure way to self-deport and includes a complimentary plane ticket, a $1,000 exit bonus, and the opportunity for potential future legal immigration,” U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said.
Fox News reported that the Trump administration’s announcement on Tuesday comes amid a recent surge in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minnesota after the state was exposed for overseeing billions of dollars in fraud schemes involving Somali migrants. According to Fox News, roughly 600 Somali nationals in the United States under Temporary Protected Status are currently residing in Minnesota.
