President Donald Trump announced Friday that he is immediately terminating Temporary Protected Status for “Somalis in Minnesota,” citing widespread fraud and criminal activity tied to Somali gangs in the state.
“Minnesota, under Governor Waltz, is a hub of fraudulent money laundering activity,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I am, as President of the United States, hereby terminating, effective immediately, the Temporary Protected Status (TPS Program) for Somalis in Minnesota. 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! President DJT.”
The decision marks a sharp reversal from the Biden administration, which extended TPS for Somalis in the U.S. in July 2024, keeping protections active through March 17, 2026.
As of March 2025, approximately 705 Somali nationals were enrolled in the program, though the exact number residing in Minnesota is unclear.
Temporary Protected Status has historically provided humanitarian relief to migrants from disaster- or conflict-stricken countries, granting them temporary legal status and work authorization in the United States.
Trump’s announcement comes amid a series of high-profile fraud investigations in Minnesota, per the New York Post.
City Journal reported that millions of dollars in stolen welfare funds may have been funneled to Somalia-based terror group al-Shabab.
Sources cited by the outlet included former state fraud investigators, lawmakers, and federal counterterrorism officials, who noted that the vast majority of defendants in the fraud cases were Somali or Somali American.
While Trump linked the fraud directly to Somali gangs, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), herself a Somali American, downplayed the policy change’s impact.
“I am a citizen and so are the majority of Somalis in America,” Omar said on X. “Good luck celebrating a policy change that really doesn’t have much impact on the Somalis you love to hate. We are here to stay.”
The president’s move represents one of the most aggressive actions yet in his effort to clamp down on immigration-related fraud, particularly targeting communities linked to ongoing investigations.
Officials have not released detailed guidance on how the termination will be implemented or whether any exemptions will remain in place.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) has not publicly responded, and the White House and Department of Homeland Security have yet to comment.
Trump’s action is likely to spark renewed debate over TPS policies, immigrant rights, and federal oversight of state-level fraud schemes, especially as the president frames it as both a law-and-order and national security issue.
