U.S. ends Somalia Temporary Protected Status, sets March 17 departure

The Department of Homeland Security announced on Jan. 13 that it will terminate Somalia’s designation for Temporary Protected Status, declaring that country conditions have improved and setting March 17, 2026 as the date when existing TPS protections expire. Somalis who do not secure another lawful status will be required to depart the United States by that date, the department said.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem framed the action as a legal and policy reset, stating, “Temporary means temporary. Country conditions in Somalia have improved to the point that it no longer meets the law’s requirement for Temporary Protected Status,” and adding, “Further, allowing Somali nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to our national interests. We are putting Americans first.” The department noted that the termination follows the statutorily required review that precedes such expirations.

The administration’s public materials instruct Somali nationals without alternate lawful status to use U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s CBP Home mobile app to report departure, saying the app “is a safe, secure way to self-deport and includes a complimentary plane ticket, a $1,000 exit bonus, and the opportunity for potential future legal immigration,” according to DHS guidance. The practical rollout of departure monitoring and any incentives will be closely watched by immigrant advocates and legal counsel.

Conflicting counts complicate the policy picture. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services sources provided one tally of 2,471 Somali nationals currently holding TPS, with an additional 1,383 having pending TPS applications. Administration officials offered a lower estimate of roughly 1,100 individuals who would be directly affected. A separate Congressional Research Service estimate places the number of Somali TPS holders at about 705. The department’s termination notice did not include a uniform federal count, leaving uncertainty about the scale and geographic concentration of those required to leave.

The decision lands amid a broader administration push to curtail TPS protections for several countries and follows public commentary from President Donald Trump criticizing Somali immigration and using disparaging language, including calling Somali immigrants “garbage.” The administration has also pointed to alleged fraud in Minnesota as part of its enforcement rationale. Minnesota officials and local leaders pushed back strongly. A Minneapolis delegation condemned the termination, saying it “places long-standing Minnesota residents, who have lived, worked, and raised families here legally, at immediate risk of losing their lawful status and being forced into uncertainty,” and arguing that ending TPS “does not change the realities on the ground abroad” while it “creates fear, disrupts families, and destabilizes communities.”

Policy implications are immediate and wide ranging. Employers, schools, and social service providers in cities with concentrated Somali populations face disruptions as residents confront removal risk. U.S. Census data show Minnesota is home to an estimated 76,000 Somali immigrants, far larger than the subset with TPS, raising broader community reverberations. Legal experts expect litigation: precedent shows federal judges have at times blocked prior TPS terminations, and court challenges are likely to test the administration’s factual findings and procedural record.

Key unresolved questions include reconciling the divergent population counts, how removal logistics will be executed after March 17, and whether courts will stay the termination. For affected individuals, the immediate options are to secure another lawful status, depart voluntarily, or pursue legal challenge through the federal courts.