Court Clears Path for Trump Administration to End Deportation Protection for Somalis
A federal court in the United States has paved the way for the administration of President Donald Trump to terminate the temporary immigration protection granted to nearly 1,100 Somalis living and working in the country.
The ruling by US District Judge Allison Burroughs allows the Department of Homeland Security to proceed with ending Somalia’s designation under the Temporary Protected Status programme, which shields eligible nationals of certain countries from deportation and permits them to work legally in the US.
The decision comes amid the Trump administration’s broader immigration crackdown, which has included efforts to revoke visas, pursue denaturalisation cases and restrict immigration programmes. The administration announced in January that it intended to end Somalia’s TPS, arguing that conditions in the country had improved sufficiently for the protection to be withdrawn.
The latest ruling follows a broader legal battle over the programme, including a recent US Supreme Court decision supporting the administration’s efforts to terminate TPS protections for nationals of Haiti and Syria. The move against Somali beneficiaries could now force affected individuals to reassess their legal status in the US or face possible deportation once the termination takes effect.
