In brief
In a significant policy shift, the Trump administration is set to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 2,500 Somali immigrants, citing improved conditions in Somalia. Announced by US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, this decision allows for the deportation of these individuals beginning March 17. The move is part of a broader initiative aimed at tightening immigration enforcement, particularly in Minnesota, where there exists a sizable Somali community. This comes amid ongoing efforts by President Trump to reduce immigration from certain nations.
The Trump administration is ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somali immigrants, making it easier to deport thousands of people.
Country conditions in Somalia have improved to the point that it no longer meets the law's requirement, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News.
TPS prevents US officials from deporting immigrants to countries deemed unsafe. Starting March 17, around 2,500 Somalis will lose their work authorisations and legal status, making them eligible for deportation.
President Donald Trump has made it known he does not want Somali immigrants in the US, and has launched a major effort in Minneapolis to detain and deport people in the country illegally.
Noem last month announced a surge of immigration officers in Minnesota, home to a large Somali diaspora community and where a sprawling federal fraud investigation found problems in the state's childcare industry, which the administration has linked to Somali immigrants.
Previous attempts to end TPS for other nations including Haiti have faced legal challenges.
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