Federal Court Ends TPS for Somali Immigrants, Threatening Deportation

A federal judge in Massachusetts on August 14 lifted an administrative stay that had temporarily blocked the Trump administration from ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalia, leaving nearly 2,500 Somali immigrants in the United States immediately vulnerable to deportation, loss of work authorization, and family separation.

The move follows a January 2026 decision by then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to terminate Somalia’s TPS designation after 35 years, citing what she described as improved conditions in the Horn of Africa nation. In a statement at the time, Noem said allowing Somali nationals to remain in the U.S. was “contrary to our national interest” and framed the move as part of an agenda to prioritize American workers.

A class-action lawsuit filed in March 2026 challenged the termination as unlawful. In mid-March, a federal judge in Boston issued a temporary administrative stay, halting the termination while the case proceeded. That reprieve ended in June when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in *Mullin v. Doe* that federal courts lacked jurisdiction to review non-constitutional challenges to TPS terminations. The 6-3 decision effectively stripped lower courts of the power to block such terminations nationwide, paving the way for up to 350,000 Haitian and 6,000 Syrian TPS holders to lose protections and work authorization.

TPS was created by Congress in 1990 with bipartisan support to provide temporary relief to nationals of countries facing armed conflict, environmental disasters, or other extraordinary conditions. It does not offer a path to permanent residency or citizenship. Somalia has held TPS designation since 1991, following the outbreak of civil war. As of December 2025, there were 1,082 Somalis with active TPS status and 1,383 pending applications, leaving more than 2,400 people in legal limbo.

Legal advocates argue the termination reflects discriminatory intent. Sadaf Hasan, an attorney with Muslim Advocates, which represents plaintiffs in the class-action suit, said the administration’s rhetoric and policy actions show a pattern of targeting African and Muslim-majority countries. “Painting people from predominantly Muslim-majority countries as a national security threat is a pretext for racial animus,” Hasan said. “The intersection of anti-Muslim, anti-Black statements and the attacks on the Somali community in Minnesota is evidence of intentional discrimination.”

In her August 14 ruling, Judge Allison D. Burroughs acknowledged “undisguised racial animus” in the administration’s actions but concluded she was bound by the Supreme Court’s decision in *Mullin v. Doe*. That ruling maintained that broad policy motives—such as dismantling TPS—could serve as a race-neutral explanation, making individual discrimination claims harder to prove.

Immigrant rights groups report growing fear and confusion among affected communities. Nils Kinuani, federal policy manager for African Communities Together (ACT), said many TPS holders are considering self-deportation due to the sudden loss of legal protections and employment authorization. “When you’re stripped of TPS status, you’re immediately vulnerable to deportation and lose your work authorization,” he said. “The impact is significant—rent, food, child care—those are the big concerns.”

ACT is advising TPS holders to consult immigration attorneys to explore alternative legal pathways. Yet many remain reluctant to speak publicly due to heightened risk of detention or deportation. “Just because you’re not hearing much about it doesn’t mean no one’s being impacted,” Kinuani said.

Among the plaintiffs in the lawsuit are longtime U.S. residents whose lives reflect the human cost of the policy shift. Alexander Doe, whose education was disrupted by war in Somalia, is now enrolled in two associate degree programs. Mohamed Doe and his wife are expecting their first child. Tyson Doe is an elementary school teacher, and Nina Doe arrived in the U.S. as a child. All now face an uncertain future under the threat of deportation to a country they have not called home for decades.