The Trump administration, Fox News reports, is set to end Temporary Protected Status for Somali nationals in the United States, with affected people required to leave by March 17. Fox cited Department of Homeland Security and USCIS sources saying conditions in Somalia have improved. USCIS figures reported 2,471 Somalis with TPS and 1,383 pending applications, while Congressional Research Service data for 2025 shows 705 Somali-born TPS holders, highlighting a discrepancy in counts.
U.S. Moves To End Temporary Protected Status For Somali Nationals, Fox News Says — Deadline March 17
A sign rests against a tree as demonstrators rally to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), amid a reported federal immigration operation targeting the Somali community, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. December 8, 2025. REUTERS/Tim Evans
Jan 13 (Reuters) — The Trump administration is reported to be ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for thousands of Somali nationals in the United States, according to Fox News. The change would require those covered to leave the country by March 17, the report said.
Fox News quoted Department of Homeland Security sources as saying that "country conditions in Somalia have improved to the point that it no longer meets the law’s requirement for Temporary Protected Status." Department of Homeland Security representatives could not be reached immediately to confirm the report.
In November, President Trump announced the immediate termination of temporary deportation protections for Somalis living in Minnesota, accelerating the phase-out of a program that began in 1991 under President George H.W. Bush.
Trump has previously described Minnesota as a "hub of fraudulent money laundering activity" under Democratic Governor Tim Walz, a comment linked to unverified media reports and statements by some Republican lawmakers alleging that the Somalia-based militant group Al-Shabaab benefited from fraud connected to Minnesota. Those allegations have not been independently verified in this report.
Recent days have also seen mass demonstrations in Minneapolis: tens of thousands marched to protest the fatal shooting of a woman by a federal immigration agent, an event that has drawn local and national attention.
Numbers and Sources
Fox News, citing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) sources, reported that 2,471 Somali nationals currently hold TPS in the United States, with another 1,383 TPS applications pending. By contrast, non-partisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) data for 2025 showed 705 Somali-born individuals nationwide with TPS status. The discrepancy underscores variation between agency reports and legislative research figures.
(Reporting by Costas Pitas; Editing by Susan Heavey)
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