By Andrea Shalal, for Reuters
US President Donald Trump claims Somali gangs are terrorising Minnesota. Photo: AFP/ Jim Watson
US President Donald Trump says he will immediately terminate temporary deportation protections for Somalis living in Minnesota, accelerating the end of a programme that began in 1991, under another Republican president.
"Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State, and BILLIONS of Dollars are missing," Trump said in a late-night post on Truth Social, without providing any further explanation or evidence.
"I am, as President of the United States, hereby terminating, effective immediately, the Temporary Protected Status (TPS Program) for Somalis in Minnesota," he said.
Trump called Minnesota a "hub of fraudulent money laundering activity" under Democratic Governor Tim Walz, an apparent response to unverified media reports, shared by several Republican lawmakers, that the Al-Shabaab militant group in Somalia had benefited from fraud committed in Minnesota.
Walz responded on X, saying: "It's not surprising that the President has chosen to broadly target an entire community. This is what he does to change the subject."
The TPS programme for Somalis was launched by then-President George W Bush in September 1991. It grants government protection to eligible foreign-born individuals who cannot return home safely, due to civil war or natural disasters.
Seventeen countries are eligible, but the Trump administration has announced it will terminate TPS designations for several, including Venezuela and Nicaragua.
The administration of Trump's Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, extended the eligibility for Somalis through to 17 March, 2026. Most of the Somalis in Minnesota are US citizens and only 705 Somali-born individuals nationwide have TPS status, according to a report by the non-partisan Congressional Research Service.
By comparison, more than 330,000 Haitians have TPS status, along with more than 170,000 people from El Salvador.
Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Minnesota, said Trump's decision was disappointing, given the Somalis in question were legal migrants, adding that Trump's move could tear families apart.
"These are legal immigrants and they should not suffer as a consequence of a political football that's being played against the Muslim community," he said. "These individuals have been following the law."
Abshir Omar, a political strategist who endorsed Trump in the 2024 presidential election, said he expected the decision to be challenged in court.
He said it could harm the long-term economic and strategic relationship with Somalia, which - in March - offered the US exclusive control of airbases and ports, and has expressed interest in partnerships with US firms to explore its large oil reserves.
- Reuters
