The federal government’s mission to make as many immigrants deportable as possible rages on, after the administration announced it would seek to end temporary protections for Somali immigrants despite conditions remaining dire in Somalia by the federal government’s own admission.
“Country conditions in Somalia have improved to the point that it no longer meets the law’s requirement for Temporary Protected Status,” the Department of Homeland Security claimed in a Jan. 13 statement, urging Somali immigrants who’ve had permission to live and work in the U.S. to self-deport. “Somali nationals who do not have a legal status other than TPS that would allow them to remain in the United States should use the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s CBP Home mobile app to report their departure from the United States.”
No, he isn’t. There is literally no legal means by which he can do this. It’s not presidential power. TPS by law cannot be terminated early, and Somali TPS is not set to expire until March 17, 2026.
— Aaron Reichlin-Melnick (@reichlinmelnick.bsky.social) 2025-11-22T01:50:39.034Z
Here is why this is so completely illegal. The law says very clearly that once TPS is granted for a 6, 12, or 18-month period, the designation “shall remain in effect” until that period ends.There is ZERO legal authority to terminate it early. None.
— Aaron Reichlin-Melnick (@reichlinmelnick.bsky.social) 2025-11-22T01:55:49.621Z
But at the same time, State Department officials have issued a red alert urging Americans to not travel to Somalia, citing “crime, terrorism, civil unrest, health, kidnapping, piracy, and lack of availability of routine consular services.”
“Due to security risks,” the State Department’s level four “Do Not Travel” alert continues, “U.S. government employees working in Somalia are prohibited from traveling outside the Mogadishu International Airport complex where the U.S. Embassy is located.” The level four alert is the most severe warning the federal government can issue.
This double-speak should come as no surprise. The federal government has also refused to reinstate TPS for Venezuela despite worsening conditions there following a deadly and unlawful military operation that has plunged the Latin American nation into uncertainty. Like in the case of Somalia, the federal government has claimed that Venezuela “today is more free than it was yesterday” and that Venezuelan immigrants should “go home.” U.S. citizens, however, are also being instructed by the State Department to stay away.
“Do not travel to or remain in Venezuela due to the high risk of wrongful detention, torture in detention, terrorism, kidnapping, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest, and poor health infrastructure,” reads the level four travel alert. And while some U.S. workers continue to work out of the U.S. embassy in Somalia, all Americans are being “strongly advised” to leave Venezuela immediately. “Do not travel to Venezuela for any reason,” the alert says in bold writing.
In a statement, the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA) called the federal government’s effort to terminate Somali TPS the “latest bigoted attack on the Somali community.” As The New York Times reported in December, “Trump has a history of insulting people from African countries, but the outburst was shocking in its unapologetic bigotry.” During that rant, Trump called Somali neighbors “garbage” and people that “complain and do nothing but bitch, we don’t want them in our country.”
“Ending Somali TPS defies both logic and the basic purpose of the program,” said CAIR-CA CEO Hussam Ayloush. “The U.S. State Department continues to designate Somalia as a Level 4 ‘Do Not Travel’ country due to the lack of basic security conditions that would place returning Somali TPS holders at constant risk through no fault of their own. Somalia remains a country that has endured decades of civil war, ongoing instability, and persistent threats from armed groups. Conditions on the ground have not meaningfully improved … This is not policy driven by facts; it is a political attack, and it puts lives at risk.”
Ifraax Saciied-Ciise, executive director of Maine-based IFKA Community Services, told WMTW News 8 that she was “very, very disappointed to hear that people who come here to seek protection and for them to deny them those protections.”
“Somali people are great people. They are hardworking. They are here for the American dream, like everybody else came here for the American dream,” Saciied-Ciise said. “And we’re here to add value to the economy and the community.” FWD.us noted in a report last year that TPS holders “contribute about $21 billion annually to the U.S. economy, in addition to the payment of $5.2 billion in combined federal, payroll, state, and local taxes.”
Thousands of our Somali coworkers and neighbors just had their work permits revoked in the admin’s latest attack on TPS. This is the mass deportation agenda in action: politically targeting immigrant communities and tearing workers out of our jobs, our unions, and our economy.
“Congress must intervene to block the termination of TPS for Somalia and conduct oversight of this discriminatory policy, and immigration courts must halt removals and uphold the rule of law,” CAIR-CA’s Ayloush continued. “This is not policy driven by facts; it is a political attack, and it puts lives at risk.”
Leaders like Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins have also called for the reinstatement of Venezuelan TPS, saying that the “instability unfolding in Venezuela today makes it even clearer that the country remains unsafe for people to return.” Sebastian, a Venezuelan TPS holder who asked to be identified by his first name only, told NPR that he initially welcomed the news of Maduro’s removal from power. But he said his relief quickly turned to worry when he heard about U.S. plans to work with Maduro’s right-hand person, NPR said. Sebastian, an architect who calls Miami home, “said he feels the danger is still as present in Venezuela.” Luis Falcón, another Venezuelan migrant, said that “putting a foot back in Venezuela means I will be taken to jail, tortured, and potentially killed.”
“No one should be forced back into chaos and uncertainty,” Mayor Higgins said. TPS holders “have built lives here, contributed to our community, and deserve the security to remain while their homeland regains stability. This is not just a matter of policy — it is a matter of basic human dignity and safety.”
