WASHINGTON – The Trump administration is terminating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalia, giving Somali nationals covered by the program until March 17, 2026 to leave the United States or obtain another lawful status. Fox News Digital first reported the administration’s Somalia decision.
The end date is laid out in federal guidance and public-facing USCIS updates, which make clear that TPS protections tied to Somalia, including the ability to live and work in the U.S. under that designation, will expire when the termination takes effect.
Fox News cited figures it said came from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services showing 2,471 Somali nationals currently covered by TPS and 1,383 additional Somali nationals with pending TPS applications. Other estimates for Somali TPS holders have varied depending on the dataset used and the year measured.
Somalia’s TPS termination is unfolding alongside a broader Trump administration push to unwind TPS protections across multiple countries. A Congressional Research Service review found TPS covered roughly 1.3 million people nationwide as of spring 2025 and noted the administration had moved to end several country designations, with some of those actions immediately landing in court.
In recent months, federal notices and USCIS updates have included firm end dates for TPS in several cases, including Haiti (Feb. 3, 2026), Burma/Myanmar (Jan. 26, 2026), and Ethiopia (Feb. 13, 2026). Other terminations, including cases involving Syria and South Sudan, have been slowed or temporarily blocked by federal judges, underscoring how quickly deadlines can change based on litigation.
For those who don’t “self-deport” after TPS ends, the practical reality is straightforward: once TPS protections lapse, anyone without another legal basis to remain is no longer shielded from removal under that TPS designation and typically loses work authorization tied to it. From there, individuals can be placed into deportation proceedings, face arrest and detention risk if encountered by ICE, and potentially end up with a formal removal order.
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That matters because removal can carry lasting consequences. Federal immigration guidance warns that remaining in the U.S. without lawful status can trigger “unlawful presence” problems that later complicate legal reentry, and a removal order can create additional barriers to returning lawfully. Separately, people who are removed and then reenter illegally can face federal criminal exposure.
With court orders frequently reshaping TPS deadlines and eligibility rules, immigration attorneys and advocates typically urge affected individuals to closely monitor USCIS updates and federal notices to determine whether they qualify for another lawful status, whether a court has paused a deadline, or whether they need to prepare to depart.
