 "Trump said on Friday that he was immediately terminating the temporary deportation protections for Somalis living in Minnesota. (AP)")
US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he was immediately ending Temporary Protected Status for Somalis living in Minnesota. Declaring the move on Truth Social, he said, “Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State, and BILLIONS of Dollars are missing,” adding that he was “hereby terminating, effective immediately, the Temporary Protected Status (TPS Program) for Somalis in Minnesota.”
The decision follows years in which Trump has singled out Somali immigrants during campaign cycles in the state, where Somali migration has grown since the 1990s.
Long-standing Somali presence in Minnesota
Somali migrants who arrived in the state over the past decades have established thriving cultural and commercial districts, sent their children to Minnesota’s colleges and universities, and elected representatives from within their communities to city councils, mayorships, the state legislature and the US Congress.
Alongside these developments, the community has also faced resistance in the predominantly white and Christian state of 5.7 million people, ranging from violent threats and vandalism to broader racial and religious tensions. Somali immigrants have been the focus of efforts to halt refugee resettlement and have expressed concern about potential targeting by local police. The community’s most prominent elected official, US Representative Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., has frequently been subjected to anti-Muslim threats and rumours, including from Trump.
State response and recent policies
Despite these challenges, many Minnesotans have been welcoming, according to about a dozen Somali community members, leaders and allies who spoke with USA TODAY. Generous state policies supporting refugee resettlement have bolstered Minnesota’s status as a key destination for East Africans fleeing instability. Governor Tim Walz, who ran for vice president with Kamala Harris against Trump and Vice President JD Vance, expanded state measures assisting Somali immigrants. After Trump signed a 2019 executive order granting state and local authorities more power to block refugee arrivals, Walz approved continued resettlements. He also authorised programmes offering driving licences, free college tuition and health insurance to undocumented immigrants.