The Trump administration has announced that it will end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for thousands of Somali nationals currently residing in the United States, according to a report by Fox News on Tuesday (local time). Once formalized, the decision will require the affected Somali nationals to leave the US by March 17. TPS is a program originally created to provide temporary relief from deportation and work authorization to foreign-born individuals who cannot safely return to their home countries due to ongoing civil war, natural disasters, or other extraordinary conditions.

According to the report, 2,471 Somali nationals currently hold TPS in the US, with an additional 1,383 applications still pending. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that the situation in Somalia has improved to the point where it no longer meets the legal requirements for granting Temporary Protected Status. She explained that the country’s conditions no longer warrant the continuation of protections under the TPS program.

The decision follows an earlier announcement by former President Donald Trump in November, when he indicated that temporary deportation protections for Somali nationals in Minnesota would be immediately terminated, accelerating the phase-out of the TPS program. The initiative was first introduced in 1991 by then-President George H.W. Bush to help protect foreign nationals who were unable to return to their home countries safely.

The move affects a sizable population of Somali residents in the US, many of whom have lived in the country for decades under TPS protections. Ending the program could have significant social and economic implications for these individuals, who will now face the prospect of repatriation or seeking alternative immigration pathways. The administration’s decision has drawn attention to the broader debate over the future of TPS and the responsibilities of the US government toward long-term beneficiaries of the program.