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President Donald Trump's administration is ending temporary protection status for Somalia, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services both confirmed on X Tuesday (January 13).
"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,'" Leavitt wrote on her press secretary account, along with FOX News' article on the decision.
"BREAKING: DHS and USCIS are ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalia. Temporary means TEMPORARY. Somali nationals with TPS are now required to leave the United States by March 17, 2026," the USCIS wrote on its account, also sharing the FOX News article.
The United States currently provides temporary protected status to immigrants from certain countries -- including Somalia -- that face natural and human-made disasters. The Trump administration has focused on limiting immigration from certain countries in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East, and the president has specifically made Somalia his focal point in recent weeks, accusing them of destroying the country and publicly stating "the Somalians should be out of there."
The Trump administration has recently renewed focus on a fraud scandal in Minnesota, specifically accusing the large population of Somali migrants of wrongdoing.
"Temporary means temporary," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement obtained by NBC News.
“Country conditions in Somalia have improved to the point that it no longer meets the law’s requirement for Temporary Protected Status,” she added. “Further, allowing Somali nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to our national interests. We are putting Americans first.”