Trump Ends Temporary Protected Status for Somali Immigrants

United States – The U.S. government announced on Tuesday that it would revoke the temporary protected status of Somali immigrants, a decision that will affect 4,000 people and is part of a large-scale operation targeting the Somali community in Minnesota, which has been at the center of a major fraud scandal. Federal immigration enforcement agencies are intensifying their efforts to crack down on this community.

Federal immigration officials said on social media: "Somali citizens with temporary protected status (TPS) must leave the United States by March 17."

For weeks, the Trump administration has used a large-scale welfare fraud scandal involving the Somali community in Minnesota, the largest Somali community in the United States with about 80,000 members, as a target and strengthened its immigration policies. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is conducting large-scale operations in northern Minnesota, especially in its largest city, Minneapolis. These operations have led to the arrest of approximately 2,000 people.

On Wednesday, a 37-year-old American woman, Renee Nicole Good, was shot and killed by an ICE agent during a protest aimed at disrupting ICE operations. Her death triggered nationwide mass protests. Trump immediately defended the officer's self-defense, but this claim was strongly questioned, especially by local Democratic opponents, who presented video evidence to support their claims.

Minneapolis and Minnesota announced on Monday that they would sue the Trump administration over these actions. Illinois, another Democratic state affected by anti-immigration actions, especially in Chicago, also filed a similar lawsuit.

On Tuesday, the United Nations called for a "rapid, independent, and transparent" investigation into the cause of Renee Nicole Good's death.

In November, the U.S. president announced on social media that he would "terminate" the temporary protected status (TPS), which had been granted to nationals of countries affected by armed conflict or natural disasters, and Somalis had benefited from it.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem stated in a statement on Tuesday that "the situation in Somalia has improved." She added, "It is not in the national interest of the United States to allow Somali nationals to remain temporarily in the United States." Somalia, located in the Horn of Africa, has suffered nearly 35 years of war and is often listed by the United Nations as one of the least developed countries in the world. The U.S. Department of State advises against traveling to Somalia due to the risks of terrorism, kidnapping, and violent crime.

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1854295671771338/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.