Trump administration is ending Temporary Protected Status for Somali nationals, requiring current TPS holders to leave the United States by March 17.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News, “Temporary means temporary,” arguing that conditions in Somalia have improved enough to no longer meet the legal criteria required for TPS. She suggested that letting Somali nationals stay under TPS runs against the country’s interests, saying the administration is about putting Americans first.
Fox News, citing USCIS data, reported 2,471 Somali nationals currently holding TPS, while an additional 1,383 applications are still pending. It also mentioned that there are reportedly up to 600 Somali beneficiaries of TPS living in Minnesota.
TPSTPS is a humanitarian program that lets qualifying citizens of certain countries stay in the US. It typically gives them permission to work if going home is risky because of war, tragedy, or other unusual circumstances. TPS for Somalia has been recurrently redesignated, extending its status.
In the last extension, USCIS indicated that TPS designation for Somalia would run through March 17, 2026. That end date and extension were published in a prior update from USCIS and the Federal Register.
DHS hasn’t said yet what transition stages or choices on a case-by-case basis it would offer to Somalis with TPS after the March deadline.
