WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has announced that the United States will immediately revoke the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) enjoyed by Somali nationals living in Minnesota, a move that raises serious questions about legal authority, civil-rights implications and broader immigration strategy.
In a post on his social-media platform, Trump asserted that Somali gangs were “terrorizing” Minnesota and that the state was “a hub of fraudulent money-laundering activity.” He declared: “I am, as President of the United States, hereby terminating … the Temporary Protected Status (TPS Program) for Somalis in Minnesota,” reports Reuters.
The action drew swift condemnation from Minnesota’s political leaders. Governor Tim Walz and Senator Amy Klobuchar called the move discriminatory, saying it targeted a legally protected immigrant community and played into political scapegoating. Immigration experts also said the president lacks the authority to end TPS for a particular subset of recipients or by state, noting the program is a federal humanitarian designation.
At most 705 Somali-born individuals in the U.S. currently hold TPS status, according to Congressional Research Service estimates; the number in Minnesota specifically remains uncertain. Advocates fear the broader message may trigger anxiety in the country’s larger Somali-American community and stoke Islamophobic backlash.
Policy significance
The TPS programme was created by Congress in 1990 to protect individuals who cannot safely return to their home countries due to war, natural disaster, or other extreme conditions. The revocation of Somali TPS follows earlier Trump-administration actions affecting nationals from countries such as Venezuela, Haiti, and South Sudan.
The decision also comes amidst broader efforts by the administration to toughen immigration enforcement and shrink humanitarian protections. Legal challenges are expected to follow, raising questions about precedent, executive power and America’s obligations under international humanitarian norms.
Though the decision currently affects only a small number of individuals, the symbolic impact is significant. Many Somali-Americans have grown up in Minnesota, contributed to the labour market and have U.S. citizen family members. The abrupt policy shift could create fear, disruptions in employment eligibility, and uncertainty for affected individuals and their families.
As one Somali-American community leader remarked: “These are legal immigrants who followed the law, now being caught in a political move that threatens to break families apart.”
