Trump’s Promise to End Somali Protections in Minnesota Raises Serious Concerns
MINNESOTA — A recent pledge by former President Donald Trump to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalis living in Minnesota has sparked alarm within the state’s sizable Somali community and drawn sharp criticism from immigration advocates and state leaders. The proposal, announced via social media, has also raised questions about its legal and practical feasibility.
In a post on Truth Social late Friday, Trump vowed to “immediately” strip Somali residents in Minnesota of TPS—a federal designation that shields individuals from deportation to countries experiencing armed conflict, environmental disasters, or other extraordinary conditions. The move, he claimed without providing evidence, was a response to criminal activity and “fraudulent money laundering” in the state.
Immigration policy experts were quick to challenge both the rationale and legality of the proposal. Heidi Altman, vice president of policy at the National Immigration Law Center, noted, “There’s no legal mechanism that allows the president to terminate protected status for a particular community or state that he has beef with.” She described the announcement as an attempt to “demagogue immigrants without justification.”
TPS is granted at the national level, not by state or locality. Federal data indicates that only 705 Somalis nationwide currently hold TPS—a small fraction of the tens of thousands of Somalis who reside in Minnesota. Most Somali Minnesotans are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents, making them unaffected by TPS termination.
U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, a Somali American Democrat from Minnesota, responded pointedly on social media: “I am a citizen and so are the majority of Somalis in America. Good luck celebrating a policy change that really doesn’t have much impact on the Somalis you love to hate.”
Community leaders, however, warn that the rhetoric alone could intensify anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiment. Jaylani Hussein, who leads the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, called the announcement a “political attack on the Somali and Muslim community driven by Islamophobic and hateful rhetoric.”
Somalia has been designated for TPS since 1991, following the collapse of its central government and the outbreak of civil war. The country continues to face instability and violence, particularly from the militant group Al-Shabab. The U.S. government has extended TPS for Somalia 27 times over the past three decades.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said his office is “exploring all of our options” in response to Trump’s proposal, emphasizing that the president “cannot terminate TPS for just one state or on a bigoted whim.”
The Somali community has become a vibrant part of Minnesota’s social and economic fabric, contributing to local business districts and civic life. Advocates stress that rather than posing a threat, Somali Americans have helped revitalize neighborhoods and strengthen the state’s cultural diversity.
As the situation develops, community organizations are preparing to provide legal support and counter misinformation, while political leaders continue to push back against what many see as a targeted and divisive policy proposal.
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