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OAN Staff Cory Hawkins
6:30 PM – Tuesday, January 13, 2026
The Trump administration, through Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, has officially announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalia.
The humanitarian program, which shields eligible nationals from deportation and grants temporary work authorization, will end on March 17th — when the existing extension, granted under the prior Biden administration, expires.
The decision reportedly stems from the administration’s determination that conditions in Somalia have “improved sufficiently” to no longer meet TPS criteria, with officials emphasizing that “temporary means temporary” and prioritizing national interests.
“Temporary means temporary,” Noem told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Country conditions in Somalia have improved to the point that it no longer meets the law’s requirement for Temporary Protected Status.”
The community’s standing has been further complicated by intensive federal scrutiny into large-scale fiscal misconduct. In Minnesota, a series of high-profile fraud investigations have brought numerous Somali immigrants to the forefront of national discussions regarding the integrity of social service programs.
“To date, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged 98 defendants in Minnesota fraud-related cases – 85 of whom are of Somali descent. Sixty-four have already been convicted. The DOJ has also issued over 1,750 subpoenas, executed over 130 search warrants, and conducted over 1,000 witness interviews,” according to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
Somalis who reside in the U.S. legally under TPS will lose their protection from deportation on March 17th. Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) tied to TPS will expire as well in March. Those without another form of legal status will be considered illegal aliens and will be eligible for deportation.
According to the DHS, approximately 2,500 Somali nationals will be impacted by the termination, including 1,028 current beneficiaries and 1,383 applicants with pending status as of December 8th. Following the announcement, the Trump administration issued a directive urging affected individuals to depart the country voluntarily.
Officials cautioned that those who remain beyond the expiration date without securing an alternative legal status will be subject to targeted enforcement, arrest and formal removal proceedings.
The termination of TPS for Somali nationals occurs against a backdrop of intensified enforcement in Minnesota, home to the nation’s largest Somali diaspora. Under a federal initiative known as “Operation Metro Surge,” the DOJ has deployed more than 2,000 agents to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Officials have justified this localized focus by citing ongoing fraud investigations and the public safety threat posed by “Somali gangs.”
Established by Congress in 1990, the TPS program was designed to provide a safe haven for foreign nationals whose home countries are plagued by armed conflict, environmental disasters, or other extraordinary conditions that make their return unsafe.
While the program saw an extreme expansion under the Biden administration, the current Trump administration has moved to terminate the protected status of thousands of individuals from countries including Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Myanmar, South Sudan, Syria, and Venezuela — citing national security concerns.
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