The Trump administration has decided to end temporary protection for Somali nationals in the United States, officials said on Jan. 13.
“Temporary means temporary,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told The Epoch Times via email.
“Country conditions in Somalia have improved to the point that it no longer meets the law’s requirement for Temporary Protected Status. Further, allowing Somali nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to our national interests. We are putting Americans first.”
TPS is authorized by federal law for people from countries with conditions such as civil war that prevent the citizens from returning there safely. TPS for Somalia has been in place since 1991.
“Somalia continues to experience widespread insecurity due to armed conflict involving state and non-state actors,” they wrote.
“The ongoing conflict, as well as other violence, has exposed civilian populations to ill-treatment, abuse, and displacement. Additionally, Somalia recently experienced intense flooding that damaged land and infrastructure, impeded efforts to address food insecurity, and exacerbated disease outbreaks. Significant barriers to the delivery of humanitarian aid persist.”
Noem previously terminated TPS status for nationals of multiple countries.
Federal judges have blocked some of those terminations, finding that they were arbitrary and capricious in violation of federal statute. The administration is appealing those decisions.
The ending of TPS for Somalis is the latest action by the administration in the wake of alleged fraud linked to Somali nationals.
On Jan. 7, for example, officials suspended assistance for the Somali government.
“We will root out this rampant fraud, we will arrest the criminal illegal aliens hurting Americans with impunity, and we will hold those who aid and abetted this criminality accountable.”
