On Friday night, former President Donald Trump announced that he is “immediately” terminating temporary legal protections for Somali migrants residing in Minnesota. This move is part of a broader strategy aimed at limiting deportations, a program that the Trump administration has previously sought to weaken. Minnesota is home to the largest Somali community in the United States, many of whom fled the prolonged civil war in their home country, seeking refuge in a state renowned for its welcoming social programs.
Despite the significance of Trump’s announcement, the number of migrants affected by the termination of temporary protected status (TPS) could be quite small. A report compiled for Congress in August indicated that only 705 Somalis are currently covered by this program nationwide. Established by Congress in 1990, the TPS program was designed to prevent the deportation of individuals from countries facing natural disasters, civil conflict, or other perilous conditions. The designation is renewed every 18 months and can only be granted by the Secretary of Homeland Security.
Trump took to his social media platform to express his views on the matter, alleging that Minnesota has become “a hub of fraudulent money laundering activity.” He claimed that “Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State, and BILLIONS of Dollars are missing. Send them back to where they came from,” he wrote. This rhetoric reflects Trump's ongoing commitment to his hardline immigration policies, which he promised to enforce during his campaign to reclaim the presidency.
Trump's announcement aligns with his administration's broader attempts to adopt stringent immigration policies. This includes the withdrawal of various protections that allowed immigrants to legally remain and work in the United States. Recently, the Trump administration has moved to terminate TPS for approximately 600,000 Venezuelans and 500,000 Haitians, who were granted protection under President Joe Biden. Furthermore, efforts have been made to limit protections for migrants from other countries, such as Cuba and Syria.
As the situation evolves, it remains crucial to monitor how these policy changes will impact the Somali community in Minnesota and the broader landscape of immigration in the United States.