President Trumpโs announcement that he plans to end Temporary Protected Status for Somalis in Minnesota has created fear across the community, even though most Somalis in our state are U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or long-time taxpayers who have built their lives here.
Minnesota is home to the largest Somali community in America. Families have been here for more than thirty years. They work in hospitals, schools, transportation, warehouses, small businesses and state agencies. They pay taxes. They raise children who serve in the military, graduate from Minnesota universities, and contribute to every part of our economy.
There are only about 430 Somali TPS holders in the entire state as of 2023. They are a very small group. Most have lived here for decades and came here because Somalia was unsafe. It is still unsafe today. Terrorist attacks continue, the government cannot protect civilians, and al-Shabab remains active. Sending anyone back to that environment places them at real risk.
The idea of canceling TPS did not come from facts or public safety concerns. It came from a political narrative that paints an entire community as criminals. That narrative is wrong and irresponsible. When a few individuals commit fraud or abuse a program, they deserve to be held accountable. But using those cases to target an entire ethnic group is discrimination. It unfairly labels more than seventy thousand Somali Minnesotans as guilty by association.
Community leaders, immigration attorneys, and civil rights groups have already spoken clearly. Ending TPS will break families apart. It will create panic for people who have lived here for more than twenty years and know no other home. It will damage trust between the community and the government. And it will not make Minnesota safer.
It is also important to understand that the president cannot simply end TPS overnight. Federal law requires the Department of Homeland Security to give notice, follow a formal process, and wait at least sixty days before any change takes effect. The earliest possible date is March, and any attempt to bypass that process will face immediate legal challenges. There is no legal path for an instant removal.
Minnesotaโs Somali community deserves fairness, accuracy, and respect. These are people who work hard, follow the law, support their families, and strengthen this state. Targeting them because of misinformation or political pressure harms our entire society.
We ask the public to look at the facts, not the fear. Minnesota is stronger when we protect families, stand against discrimination, and make decisions based on truth and justice. Ending TPS for Somalis does the opposite, and we urge leaders and neighbors across the state to speak up.
