The US this month announced it will end Temporary Protected Status for Somali immigrants in March. The decision has sparked strong emotions, particularly in states like Minnesota, where a large Somali community has built deep roots. For many families, the news brings uncertainty and fear. For politicians, it has become another tool for outrage.
Beyond the noise, this moment offers a rare opportunity to move past slogans and talking points and instead approach the immigration debate with honesty, responsibility and clear-eyed judgment.
Temporary Protected Status was never meant to be permanent. It was created by Congress in 1990 as a humanitarian tool for people who could not safely return home due to war, natural disasters or extraordinary crises. It was designed to be temporary, reviewed regularly and ended when conditions no longer met the legal standard.
Today, the system is in rapid decline following a wave of terminations and legal challenges. Although some 17 countries have been designated for the program at various times, only a limited number retain full, active protections. El Salvador and Ukraine still have active extensions, while countries like Haiti, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Myanmar are seeing their protections end or remain in place only due to court orders.
Somalia was first designated for the scheme in 1991, during a period of complete state collapse and civil war. More than three decades later, what was meant to be a short-term protection has become, in practice, permanent. That reality shows how far the system has drifted from its original purpose. Ending it for Somalis is not about punishing a community. It is about restoring honesty to a system that has long avoided difficult decisions. Temporary programs cannot become permanent by default. When they do, the law loses meaning and fairness disappears.
According to US Citizenship and Immigration Services data, about 2,500 Somali nationals currently hold Temporary Protected Status in the US, which is a small fraction of the much larger Somali immigrant population nationwide.
This does not mean Somalia is suddenly a safe or easy place to live. It is not. The country still struggles with terrorism, political instability and economic hardship. But this scheme is not a judgment on whether a country is perfect or stable. It is a legal standard that asks whether conditions remain so extraordinary and temporary that return is impossible.
Mogadishu now has a recognized government, active diplomatic ties, operating airports and millions of people moving in and out of the country each year. While serious challenges remain, these facts are part of the reality Washington must weigh up when enforcing the law as it is written.
For years, Temporary Protected Status for Somali immigrants was extended with little public debate. Each renewal delayed a necessary reckoning: what happens when “temporary” becomes permanent? The answer cannot be endless extensions driven by politics rather than law. A system that promises what it cannot deliver is not compassionate; it is harmful. It gives people a false sense of security and leaves families unprepared when the truth finally comes.
A system that promises what it cannot deliver is not compassionate; it is harmful. It gives people a false sense of security.
Dalia Al-Aqidi
Nowhere is this more visible than in Minnesota. Political leaders and activists have used immigration enforcement as a stage for emotional rhetoric. Some speak as if the law itself is the enemy. Others suggest that any enforcement is an attack on entire communities. This kind of language does real harm. It spreads fear, fuels anger and deepens division. It does not protect immigrants. It leaves them confused and vulnerable.
Immigrant communities deserve truth, not slogans. They deserve policies that are clear, consistent and lawful. A transparent immigration system benefits everyone. It gives immigrants a realistic understanding of their options and protects the integrity of legal pathways. It restores public trust in a system that has too often been shaped by political convenience rather than principle.
Ending Somalia’s Temporary Protected Status does not mean closing the door on Somali immigrants. Many will still be able to stay through other legal paths, such as family reunification, asylum or work visas. This decision simply makes one thing clear: temporary protection cannot last forever. It draws an honest line between emergency relief and permanent status and reminds us that long-term residency must come through lawful, lasting channels.
America has always been a land of opportunity, built by people who believed in its promise and were willing to work for a better future. Generation after generation has traveled to the US not because the path was easy, but because it was fair and based on clear rules that gave everyone a real chance to succeed. But opportunity cannot survive without fairness and fairness cannot exist without honest, meaningful laws.
When rules are unclear or constantly changed, people are misled, communities are hurt and trust in the system is lost.
This moment should finally force a serious national conversation about immigration reform, not as a campaign slogan or political weapon but as real and lasting policy. For decades, leaders from both parties have promised reform while using the issue to divide voters, leaving families trapped in uncertainty and communities caught in the middle. The US needs a modern, humane immigration system that reflects today’s realities, not laws written for a different time and a different world.
The country needs reforms that provide a clear, legal path to citizenship for those who work, contribute, respect the law and believe in the American promise, while also restoring order at the border and confidence in fair, consistent enforcement.
A system without compassion becomes cold and unjust, but compassion without structure becomes chaos. True reform must balance both. Only then can immigrants plan their futures with dignity, communities can regain trust and the nation can move forward with fairness, stability and integrity.
BY: Dalia Al-Aqidi is executive director at the American Center for Counter Extremism.
Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect The Times Union‘ point of view
