US President Donald Trump has revoked Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somali nationals residing in Minnesota, justifying the decision with unverified allegations of gang-related crime and financial misconduct. On Saturday, Trump announced that he was immediately ending deportation protections for Somalis who had been shielded under a program originally created in 1991 during the administration of President George H. W. Bush. In a post on Truth Social, Trump asserted—without presenting any evidence—that “Somali gangs are terrorising Minnesota” and claimed that “billions of dollars are missing,” statements that echoed speculative claims circulated by some conservative media figures. He declared that the TPS designation for Somalis in Minnesota was terminated “effective immediately.”
Trump also described Minnesota as a centre of “fraudulent money laundering activity” under Democratic Governor Tim Walz, repeating unverified narratives promoted by certain Republican lawmakers who have attempted to link the militant group Al-Shabaab to state-level fraud schemes. Governor Walz responded on X by criticising the President for broadly targeting an entire Somali-American community and accused him of using inflammatory rhetoric to distract from other political issues.
Available data contradicts Trump’s sweeping assertions. According to the Congressional Research Service, only 705 Somali-born individuals in the entire United States currently hold Temporary Protected Status. Most Somali-origin residents in Minnesota are U.S. citizens, including Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who was born in Somalia, fled civil conflict as a child, lived briefly in a refugee camp in Kenya, and eventually resettled in Minneapolis. She now serves as the elected representative for Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The TPS program for Somalia was introduced in September 1991 to protect eligible foreign nationals who could not safely return to their home country due to ongoing conflict or humanitarian crises. At present, seventeen countries have TPS designations. While Trump has pushed to end several TPS programs, including those for Venezuela and Nicaragua, the Biden administration had previously extended TPS protections for Somalis through March 17, 2026.
Trump’s abrupt decision has drawn criticism from civil rights advocates. Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, condemned the move and emphasised that those affected are lawful migrants who complied with all federal requirements. He warned that rescinding TPS could lead to severe familial separations and destabilise long-settled households. Meanwhile, Abshir Omar, a political strategist and Trump supporter in the 2024 presidential campaign, acknowledged that the action would likely face significant legal challenges. He also cautioned that the reversal could damage long-term economic and diplomatic relations with Somalia, which has recently shown interest in deepening strategic cooperation with the United States by offering exclusive access to ports and air bases and by inviting U.S. companies to explore potential oil reserves in the country.
