BREAKING: President Donald Trump has just announced the immediate termination of temporary legal protections for Somali migrants residing in Minnesota. This decision marks a significant escalation in the administration’s ongoing efforts to limit deportations and challenge immigration protections.
The announcement came late Friday night, with Trump alleging that Minnesota has become “a hub of fraudulent money laundering activity.” He claimed, “Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State, and BILLIONS of Dollars are missing. Send them back to where they came from. It’s OVER!”
This abrupt move impacts a community that has already faced significant challenges. Minnesota is home to the largest Somali population in the United States, many of whom fled the devastating civil war in their homeland for the state’s supportive social programs. However, the Temporary Protective Status (TPS) program, created by Congress in 1990, only protects a small number of individuals. A report from August 2023 indicated that only 705 Somali migrants are currently covered by this program nationwide.
TPS is designed to prevent deportations of individuals from countries experiencing ongoing conflict, natural disasters, or other dangerous conditions. The program is administered by the Homeland Security secretary and is granted in increments of 18 months.
Trump’s administration has been on a mission to dismantle various immigration protections, having previously ended TPS for 600,000 Venezuelans and 500,000 Haitians, among other groups. This continued push to adopt hardline immigration policies has raised concerns over the future of countless migrants who rely on these protections to remain in the U.S. safely.
As this story develops, communities and advocacy groups are mobilizing to respond to the implications of Trump’s latest directive. The emotional impact on families who may now face deportation is profound, and many are left wondering what the future holds.
Stay tuned for more updates on this urgent situation as it unfolds.
