A federal judge’s Friday ruling has ended the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalis in the United States, lifting a previous order that paused President Donald Trump’s administration from doing so.

U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs said in her ruling that African Communities Together, which had sued to stop the Trump administration from ending Somali TPS, “made a convincing showing that they will suffer irreparable harm” but “have not demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits (of their case).”

Therefore, Burroughs allowed the government to end TPS for Somalis while the case moves forward.

Background

Then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced in January that the U.S. would end Somali TPS in March, saying in a statement, “Temporary means temporary. 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.”

RELATED: US to end Temporary Protected Status for Somalis in March

Noem’s statement came despite the fact that the Department of State listed — and still lists today — “Level 4: Do Not Travel” advisory for Somalia, citing ongoing “crime, kidnapping, terrorism, unrest, health, landmines, systematic mistreatment of women, systematic mistreatment of gay and lesbian individuals, piracy, abuse of residents in rehabilitation centers, and confiscation of passports.”

However, on March 17, the last day of TPS, Burroughs granted an emergency filing, pausing the Trump administration from immediately ending TPS, which would’ve forced Somalis on TPS to immediately leave the country or risk being arrested and deported.

RELATED: Court ruling blocks Somalia’s Temporary Protected Status from ending

Somalia was among the first countries to receive a TPS designation back in 1991, a year after Congress created the program primarily as a humanitarian tool.

What it means

Roughly 700 Somali nationals are estimated to live in the U.S., and less than 1% of Minnesota’s Somali population — which high-end Census data estimates to be around 108,000 residents — have TPS.

Those who remain in the U.S. on TPS now face the risk of arrest and deportation.

“I recognize this may be extremely daunting, scary,” declares Roger Tsai, an immigration attorney.

Tsai said this ruling essentially states the Department of Homeland Security has the authroity to end the TPS Program.

“Ultimately, the central focus is whether or not the Department of Homeland Security has the authority to end temporary protected status,” Tsai adds. “According to this June 2026 U.S. Supreme Court decision, they do have that authority.”

Jaylani Hussein, Executive Director of the Council of American Islamic Relations for Minnesota said the ruling is a “devestating blow” to the entire TPS program. Still Hussein said some protections may still be availible to people seeking a path to citizenship.

“Most people who have TPS actually have other programs or other things that they’re applying for the citizenship program where they can become legal citizens so we’re hoping they can rely on that,” Hussein said.

Tsai said he doesn’t beleive the ruling will begin a sweeping operation to get those who have lost TPS out of the country, but more likely will be immigration authorties suspeding or ending work authorization for some people and perhaps notifying employers of the change.

“My understanding is their focus is on criminal individuals,” Tsai says. “Certainly, there will be an impact immediately in terms of work authorization.”

For Related Stories: Court  Somali Community  Trump Administration