Trump admin's push to end controversial policy extended by Biden sparks backlash ahead of crucial deadline

A handful of immigrants and advocacy organizations are asking the Trump administration to extend its March 17 deadline to end the temporary protected status (TPS) afforded to Somalis in the U.S., arguing the administration is changing the immigration designation purely along lines motivated by race.

"They reflect a desire to target and punish Somali nationals based on their race and national origin in violation of the U.S. Constitution."

The suit was brought by African Communities Together and the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans and lists the Department of Homeland Security as a defendant.

The news prompted Trump's first move against Somali TPS.

"Temporary means temporary. Country conditions in Somalia have improved to the point that it no longer meets the law's requirement for temporary protected status. Allowing Somali nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to our national interests. The Trump administration is putting Americans first," an agency spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

Somalia received TPS in 1991 and has held a TPS designation for 35 years.

"The 2024 redesignation noted that 'Somalia continues to experience widespread insecurity due to armed conflict involving state and non-state actors' … subjecting civilians to human rights abuses, including summary executions, indiscriminate and targeted killings, gender-based violence, child recruitment, disappearances and physical abuse," the plaintiffs argued.

DHS declined to comment on its on-the-ground assessments of Somalia's local conditions.