Four Somali individuals and two advocacy organizations plan to challenge the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s decision to revoke the protected status of some Somalis residing in America.
The two advocacy groups involved in the lawsuit include The African Communities Together and the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans.
Both plaintiffs filed the lawsuit in a Boston federal court and argued that the decision stemmed from a discriminatory, predetermined agenda and was procedurally flawed.
The lawsuit, as reported by Reuters, references a series of statements made by Trump in which he described Somalis as “garbage” and “low IQ people” who “contribute nothing.”
The plaintiffs further argue that the termination of protected status is rooted in racist rhetoric, exhibiting a bias towards white people and a disregard for Somalians and nationals of other similar countries.
In January, outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the expiration of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalis, effective March 17.
She claimed that, notwithstanding continued conflict between Somali authorities and al-Shabaab militants, conditions within Somalia had become more habitable.
“The termination of TPS for Somalia is racism masking as immigration policy,” Omar Farah, executive director at the legal group Muslim Advocates, said in a statement.
The Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts recently focused on the sizable Somali community in Minnesota.
These actions, which included the deployment of approximately 3,000 immigration agents, were justified by officials who cited a fraud scandal in which many of the accused were from the community.
This months-long increase in enforcement in the Democrat-led state of Minnesota led to protests and tragically resulted in the deaths of two U.S. citizens at the hands of federal officials.
Furthermore, after announcing in November that he would end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalis in Minnesota, Trump stated a month later that he desired for them to be sent “back to where they came from.”
TPS for Somalians in the United States
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a humanitarian immigration status established by the United States in 1990.
It allows people from certain countries experiencing war, natural catastrophes, or severe instability to temporarily live and work in the United States without fear of deportation.
However, TPS does not give a road to permanent residency or citizenship; it must be renewed regularly by the United States government.
The designation has been extended several times over the last three decades due to the country’s continued instability, which includes conflict with the insurgent group Al-Shabaab, frequent droughts, and severe humanitarian problems.
In recent developments, the US administration has moved to remove TPS for Somalia, which is set to expire on March 17, 2026.
