A legal fight has begun in the United States after immigrant rights advocates challenged a federal decision that could strip hundreds of Somali nationals of the legal protections that allow them to live and work in the country.
The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Boston, seeks to block the government’s plan to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somali nationals. The case was brought by four Somali migrants along with advocacy groups representing immigrant communities.
TPS is a humanitarian program that allows people from countries facing conflict or severe instability to remain in the United States without fear of deportation while also granting permission to work legally. For decades, Somalis have been eligible for the program due to ongoing turmoil in their home country.
Earlier this year, the administration announced that TPS protections for Somalia would end on March 17, arguing that conditions in the East African nation had improved sufficiently. The decision came despite continued clashes between Somali government forces and the militant group al-Shabaab.
Those challenging the move claim the decision was driven by bias rather than an objective review of conditions in Somalia. They argue the termination was procedurally flawed and rooted in a predetermined effort to roll back protections for migrants from certain countries.
The lawsuit also points to past public remarks made about Somali immigrants, arguing that such statements reveal discriminatory motives behind the policy shift.
Advocacy organizations involved in the case say ending TPS would place Somali families who have built lives in the United States at immediate risk of deportation and economic disruption. According to government figures, roughly 1,082 Somali nationals currently hold TPS status, while more than 1,300 additional applications remain pending.
The dispute comes amid a broader push to dismantle TPS protections for several countries. The administration has already taken steps to end the program for multiple nationalities and is seeking approval from the U.S. Supreme Court to terminate protections affecting hundreds of thousands of migrants from Haiti and thousands more from Syria.
Somali communities in the United States—particularly in Minnesota—have recently been caught in the middle of heightened immigration enforcement. A large-scale federal operation in the state involved thousands of immigration agents and sparked protests from community groups after several enforcement actions led to deadly encounters with federal officers.
Somalia has been eligible for TPS since 1991 due to decades of civil conflict and instability. Despite periodic renewals of the designation, the future of that protection is now uncertain as the court weighs whether the planned termination can proceed.
