The Trump administration is ending temporary protected status for immigrants from Somalia, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed in a post on X. “Somali nationals with TPS are now required to leave the United States by March 17, 2026,” a post from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said. Video of previous coverage above: FBI and the Department of Homeland Security say they are surging resources into MinnesotaTemporary protected status is provided to immigrants from some countries facing safety conditions, such as environmental disasters and armed conflict. Other countries currently covered include Lebanon, El Salvador and Yemen. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has recently moved to remove several countries from the list, but was met with a judge’s order challenging the move, according to the USCIS website.The Trump administration has moved to limit immigration from some countries in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. President Donald Trump has specifically targeted Somalis in recent weeks, saying that “the Somalians should be out of here.”Located in the horn of Africa, Somalia is one of the world’s poorest nations and has for decades been beset by chronic strife exacerbated by multiple natural disasters, including severe droughts. The country has faced multiple crises in recent years, including famine, extreme weather patterns and military conflict with the armed group Al-Shabab, which was accompanied by sexual violence against women and girls, according to Human Rights Watch’s World Report.A 2025 congressional report stated that Somalis had received more than two dozen extensions because of perpetual “insecurity and ongoing armed conflict that present serious threats to the safety of returnees.”“Country conditions in Somalia have improved to the point that it no longer meets the law’s requirement for Temporary Protected Status,” Noem said. “Further, allowing Somali nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to our national interests. We are putting Americans first.”Somalia first received the designation under President George H.W. Bush amid a civil war in 1991. The status has been extended for decades, most recently by Biden in July 2024.Sources at USCIS told Fox News that there are 2,471 Somali nationals currently in the U.S. under TPS, with 1,383 in the country with pending TPS applications.At a December rally, Trump called Somalia and several other countries “hellholes” and said “we always take people from Somalia, places that are a disaster.”“Filthy, dirty, disgusting, ridden with crime,” he said. “The only thing they’re good at is going after ships.”Somali immigrants received a renewed focus from the Trump administration on a Minnesota fraud scandal in which many accused of wrongdoing were citizens of Somali descent. Thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were sent to Minnesota in recent weeks, and a U.S. citizen was shot and killed by one agent amid the crackdown.”Temporary means temporary,” the USCIS post read.The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Trump administration is ending temporary protected status for immigrants from Somalia, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed in a post on X.
“Somali nationals with TPS are now required to leave the United States by March 17, 2026,” a post from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said.
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Video of previous coverage above: FBI and the Department of Homeland Security say they are surging resources into Minnesota
Temporary protected status is provided to immigrants from some countries facing safety conditions, such as environmental disasters and armed conflict. Other countries currently covered include Lebanon, El Salvador and Yemen.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has recently moved to remove several countries from the list, but was met with a judge’s order challenging the move, according to the USCIS website.
The Trump administration has moved to limit immigration from some countries in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. President Donald Trump has specifically targeted Somalis in recent weeks, saying that “the Somalians should be out of here.”
Located in the horn of Africa, Somalia is one of the world’s poorest nations and has for decades been beset by chronic strife exacerbated by multiple natural disasters, including severe droughts. The country has faced multiple crises in recent years, including famine, extreme weather patterns and military conflict with the armed group Al-Shabab, which was accompanied by sexual violence against women and girls, according to Human Rights Watch’s World Report.
A 2025 congressional report stated that Somalis had received more than two dozen extensions because of perpetual “insecurity and ongoing armed conflict that present serious threats to the safety of returnees.”
“Country conditions in Somalia have improved to the point that it no longer meets the law’s requirement for Temporary Protected Status,” Noem said. “Further, allowing Somali nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to our national interests. We are putting Americans first.”
Somalia first received the designation under President George H.W. Bush amid a civil war in 1991. The status has been extended for decades, most recently by Biden in July 2024.
Sources at USCIS told Fox News that there are 2,471 Somali nationals currently in the U.S. under TPS, with 1,383 in the country with pending TPS applications.
At a December rally, Trump called Somalia and several other countries “hellholes” and said “we always take people from Somalia, places that are a disaster.”
“Filthy, dirty, disgusting, ridden with crime,” he said. “The only thing they’re good at is going after ships.”
Somali immigrants received a renewed focus from the Trump administration on a Minnesota fraud scandal in which many accused of wrongdoing were citizens of Somali descent. Thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were sent to Minnesota in recent weeks, and a U.S. citizen was shot and killed by one agent amid the crackdown.
“Temporary means temporary,” the USCIS post read.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
