*White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Tuesday via X that the administration is revoking temporary protected status for immigrants from Somalia. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services stated that Somali nationals with this designation must depart American soil by March 17, 2026.
As NBC News reports, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the decision by emphasizing that “Temporary means temporary.” She explained that circumstances within Somalia have sufficiently stabilized, no longer warranting continuation of the protected status under legal requirements. Noem added that maintaining Somali nationals in the country “is contrary to our national interests” and declared the administration’s priority of “putting Americans first.”
This action represents part of a broader immigration enforcement targeting African, Latin American, and Middle Eastern countries. President Trump has focused criticism on Somali immigrants recently, stating that “the Somalians should be out of here.” Minnesota’s Somali community has received particular attention following a fraud controversy involving daycare centers.
???NEW: President Trump ends temporary protected status for thousands of Somalis in US
‘Somali migrants with TPS will be required to leave the country by March 17’https://t.co/Bth3c5xDlF
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) January 13, 2026
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The temporary protected status program offers refuge to individuals from nations experiencing crises, including natural disasters and conflicts. Somalia’s eligibility for this humanitarian designation dates back to 1991, when the United States first extended protection to people from the East African nation.
During a December rally, Trump characterized Somalia and other nations as “Filthy, dirty, disgusting, ridden with crime” and added, “The only thing they’re good at is going after ships.”
Additional countries have lost temporary protected status under this administration, including Afghanistan, Venezuela, Haiti, and South Sudan. Court challenges are currently pending against several terminations, notably those affecting Haitians and South Sudanese. The Supreme Court permitted the Venezuelan program’s termination to proceed last October.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Trump Administration Freezes Minnesota Child Care Funds as Federal Fraud Probe Expands
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