The Trump administration is officially pulling the plug on Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for Somali nationals living here in the United States, giving hundreds of people just two months to leave the country or face deportation. This decision ends decades of protection for a community first granted status back in 1991.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the move, claiming that conditions in the East African country have improved enough that Somalis no longer qualify for the designation under federal law. She was very blunt about the administration’s position. Secretary Noem wrote that “Temporary means temporary,” adding that letting Somali nationals remain was “contrary to our national interests.” She insisted, “We are putting Americans first,” according to The Guardian.
