US President Donald Trump is ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somali immigrants, making it easier to deport thousands of people from the US.
“Country conditions in Somalia have improved to the point that it no longer meets the law’s requirement,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said.
TPS keeps immigrants from being deported by US officials to dangerous nations. Approximately 2,500 Somalis will lose their legal status and work permits on March 17, rendering them deportable.
President Donald Trump has made it clear that he does not want Somali immigrants in the US, and he has started a significant initiative in Minneapolis to detain and deport those who are in the country illegally.
“Temporary means temporary,” Noem said in a statement to the BBC. “Further, allowing Somali nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to our national interests. We are putting Americans first.”
TPS was created by Congress in 1990 to provide sanctuary to citizens of war-torn or environmentally devastated nations. Generally speaking, immigrants with TPS permission are permitted to reside and work lawfully in the United States.
The BBC was informed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that 1,383 individuals had pending applications and 2,471 Somali nationals have TPS.
A Trump image with the slogan, “I am the captain now,” was used by DHS in response to an internet post regarding the notice that the protective status was expiring for those individuals.
Last month, Noem announced an increase of immigration officers in Minnesota, which is home to a sizable Somali diaspora community and where the administration has connected Somali immigrants to issues in the state’s childcare sector that were discovered during a comprehensive federal fraud probe.