Trump administration ends Somali TPS, putting 500–600 Minnesotans at risk by March 17
The Trump administration will not renew Temporary Protected Status for Somalia, formally set to expire March 17, putting roughly 500–600 Somali TPS holders in Minnesota — out of about 37,000 Somali‑born residents and roughly 700 Somalis nationwide covered by TPS — at risk of losing work authorization and facing detention or deportation. Local leaders and immigration attorneys say the move will strain social‑service and legal‑aid networks and threaten mixed‑status families, while DHS officials note any TPS decision must follow legal procedures and would apply nationwide rather than only to Minnesota.
📌 Key Facts
- The administration has decided not to renew Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalia; officials say protections for covered Somalis will end on a defined date rather than be reconsidered.
- DHS/administration sources set the formal expiration date for Somali TPS as March 17, 2026.
- Recent reporting estimates about 500–600 Somali TPS holders live in Minnesota (out of roughly 37,000 Somali‑born residents statewide); an August report to Congress cited by the AP estimated only about 705 Somali nationals are covered by TPS nationwide.
- President Trump posted in November saying Somali TPS protections would end 'immediately' and accused Minnesota of being 'a hub of fraudulent money laundering' and of being 'terrorized' by 'Somali gangs'; reporters link that post to a subsequent ICE surge in Minnesota.
- DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has said the department was reviewing Somali TPS, that any decision would follow the law and apply nationwide (not just to Minnesota), and that a required notice period (about 60 days) follows an expiration; the department later confirmed the extension would not be renewed.
- Rep. Ilhan Omar and Minnesota DFL leaders denounced the move, held a State Capitol rally, argued the president cannot unilaterally end TPS or target a single state, and Omar said she will work to help Somali TPS holders adjust status before the protections lapse.
- Local Somali community leaders and immigration attorneys warn the end of TPS will mean loss of work authorization, increased risk of detention, and significant hardship for mixed‑status families and U.S.‑citizen children, placing additional strain on social‑service and legal‑aid networks in Minneapolis–Saint Paul.
- Background/context: DHS typically designates TPS in set increments (often 18 months), and Minnesota hosts the nation’s largest Somali community — but only a small fraction of that community currently holds TPS.
📊 Relevant Data
Minnesota is home to more than 80,000 ethnic Somalis, the largest community outside of Africa, with the majority arriving as refugees starting in the 1990s due to the Somali civil war and resettled through U.S. refugee programs.
How Minnesota became the center of the Somali diaspora — Sahan Journal
The Feeding Our Future fraud scheme in Minnesota involved the theft of over $250 million from federal child nutrition programs, with 78 defendants charged, many of whom are Somali immigrants or descendants.
Feeding Our Future — Wikipedia
Somalis make up about 1-2% of Minnesota's population but are overrepresented in major pandemic-era fraud cases, with nearly 90% of defendants in such cases since 2020 being Somali immigrants or their descendants.
A Somali-American former investigator: why you're hearing about fraud in my community — Minnesota Reformer
Somali Minnesotans generate at least $500 million in income annually and pay about $67 million in state and local taxes.
Somali Minnesotans drive economic growth, pay $67M taxes annually — KSTP
About 54% of Somali-headed households in Minnesota receive food stamps, and 73% have at least one member on Medicaid, indicating high reliance on public assistance.
Somali Immigrants in Minnesota — Center for Immigration Studies
TPS for Somalia was extended in September 2024 due to ongoing armed conflict, violence by non-state actors including al-Shabaab, and extraordinary conditions like drought and flooding.
Secretary Mayorkas Announces Extension and Redesignation of Somalia for TPS — Department of Homeland Security
The Somali population in Minnesota has grown from a few hundred in the early 1990s to over 80,000 by 2025, driven by refugee resettlement policies and family reunification.
How Minnesota became a hub for Somali immigrants in the U.S. — NPR
Areas with high Somali populations in Minnesota, such as certain neighborhoods in Minneapolis, have experienced surges in violent crime, with claims of Somali gang involvement contributing to a 56% increase in violent crime rates.
Cedar-Riverside becomes 'Little Mogadishu' as Somalis reshape Minneapolis — Fox News
📰 Source Timeline (6)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Confirms from administration sources that the TPS extension for Somalia will not be renewed and that protections for covered Somalis will end on a defined date rather than being reconsidered.
- Clarifies how many Minnesota Somali TPS holders are in the Twin Cities specifically, and how many U.S.‑citizen children and mixed‑status families in the metro will be affected.
- Adds quotes from local Somali community leaders and immigration attorneys describing likely scenarios after March 17 — including loss of work authorization, risk of detention, and strain on social‑service and legal‑aid networks in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
- Clarifies that TPS for Somalia will formally expire March 17, giving a concrete drop‑dead date.
- Narrows the Minnesota impact estimate to about 500–600 Somali TPS holders out of roughly 37,000 Somali‑born residents statewide.
- Links the November Trump Truth Social 'termination' post directly to subsequent events, describing it as the first domino in the chain that helped trigger the current ICE surge in Minnesota.
- Reiterates that DHS, through Secretary Kristi Noem, publicly acknowledged after Trump’s November post that TPS for Somalia was still 'under review' and not yet formally terminated at that time.
- Minnesota DFL leaders, led by Rep. Ilhan Omar, held a rally at the State Capitol on Nov. 24 denouncing Trump’s call to end Somali TPS.
- Omar said she would work to help Somali TPS holders adjust status before TPS’s scheduled March end date.
- DHS Sec. Kristi Noem said in Minnesota that the department will evaluate revoking Somali TPS and that a 60-day notice would be required.
- Article estimates about 400 Somali TPS holders in Minnesota (~0.5% of Somali Minnesotans), providing local scale.
- CAIR-MN’s Jaylani Hussein alleged a coordinated online campaign spreading anti-Muslim content tied to recent fraud coverage.
- Noem announced TPS will be removed for Myanmar effective Jan. 26, per an official release; Human Rights Watch disputed the U.S. assessment.
- Rep. Ilhan Omar said the president does not have unilateral authority to end TPS and cannot end TPS only for one state.
- FOX 9 reports TPS for Somalis is currently set to expire in March 2026, with a 60-day period after expiration before impacts take effect.
- DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, speaking in Minneapolis, said DHS is still reviewing Somali TPS, will follow the law, and any decision would apply nationwide, not just Minnesota.
- FOX 9 cites that while more than 37,000 Somali-born people live in Minnesota, only about 500 currently hold TPS.
- AP cites an August report to Congress estimating only 705 Somali nationals are covered by TPS nationwide.
- Trump’s post says protections will be ended 'immediately' and labels Minnesota a 'hub of fraudulent money laundering,' asserting 'Somali gangs are terrorizing' the state.
- Context reminder: TPS is designated in 18‑month increments by DHS; Minnesota hosts the nation’s largest Somali community.