The move comes after taxpayer fraud schemes by Somalis were uncovered.
A diaspora community of Somali nationals in Minnesota was recently found to be the center of recently discovered widespread fraud.
The Trump administration announced plans to revoke temporary protected status for Somali nationals in the United States in response. The move was announced by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
In the announcement, Noem said Somalis with temporary protected status would be required to leave the United States by March 17. She said that conditions in Somalia have improved, and that “allowing Somali nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to our national interest. We are putting Americans first.”
Somalia was granted temporary protection status in 1991 due to ongoing civil war. Former President Joe Biden extended that protection in 2024.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a social media post, “Our message is clear. Go back to your own country, or we’ll send you back ourselves.”
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement posted on social media, “Leave the U.S. on your own terms between NOW and March 17th, or receive a visit from ICE. The choice is yours.”
More than 2,000 immigration enforcement officers have been sent to Minneapolis by the Trump administration amid a strict immigration crackdown.
The announcement of the revoked protected status for Somali nationals is the result of an investigation that began under former President Joe Biden. The investigation found that charities and organizations tied to the Somali diaspora in Minnesota defrauded federal benefits programs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The widespread fraud scheme amounted to roughly $9 billion in fraud involving members of the Somali community in Minnesota.
More than 90 individuals have been charged in the federal fraud investigations.
Additional federal agencies, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Labor, have announced investigations and other efforts they say are aimed toward rooting out fraud in Minnesota.
According to data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the termination of protected status will impact 2,471 Somali nationals under the program.
