Gov. Bob Ferguson met with Somali American community leaders December 29 to discuss deportations and changes under the Trump Administration. (Source: Gov. Bob Ferguson's X)
BLAINE, Wash. — With Temporary Protected Status for Somalia set to expire this spring, some Somali families in the United States are beginning to explore whether Canada could offer a safer future.
The Trump administration announced Tuesday that it will terminate Somalia’s TPS designation on March 17, 2026, ending work authorization and deportation protections for thousands of people who have lived legally in the United States for decades.
In the announcement, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Somalia no longer meets the legal requirements for the program.
“Temporary means temporary,” Noem said. She added that Somalia “no longer meets the legal requirements for TPS,” and that continued protection for Somali nationals is “contrary to our national interests.” The administration, she said, is “putting Americans first.”
TPS is a humanitarian program created by Congress in 1990 to protect people already in the United States when war, disaster or other extraordinary conditions make it unsafe to return home. Somalia has held TPS designation since the early 1990s, with repeated extensions under both Republican and Democratic administrations.
Washington reaction
U.S. Rep. Adam Smith, whose district includes parts of King County, said the earlier decision to review the TPS status for Somalis threatens families who have built permanent lives in the United States.
“I joined several of my colleagues in expressing deep concern over President Trump’s comments targeting Somalis with Temporary Protected Status,” Smith said. “Many Somali TPS holders, including those in Washington’s Ninth District, have become pillars in our community, started businesses, and raised their families in the United States.”
Gov. Bob Ferguson echoed similar concerns in a Dec. 29 post on X after meeting with Somali American community leaders.
“I met with Somali American community leaders today to discuss the deep damage inflicted by Donald Trump’s harmful rhetoric and reckless deportations,” Ferguson wrote. “Here in Washington state, we recognize that diversity is a strength.”
Ferguson, who previously sued the Trump administration as attorney general over immigration-related actions, has not yet issued a formal statement specific to the TPS termination.
Fear, uncertainty and movement toward Canada
Advocates say the announcement is already fueling fear among Somali TPS holders, many of whom have lived in the United States for decades and have U.S.-born children.
Some families have begun looking toward Canada as a possible alternative, particularly after the TPS review was first announced.
The movement has largely been voluntary and driven by the asylum seekers themselves. Some have crossed the border at unofficial points of entry, according to groups tracking migration trends.
Advocates say many are not attempting to enter Canada through formal refugee resettlement programs, but instead are fleeing uncertainty in the United States.
The motive, they say, is fear.
Many Somali TPS holders worry the loss of legal status will lead to detention and deportation to Somalia, a country that continues to face armed conflict, political instability, drought and humanitarian crises.
What happens next
DHS said Somali TPS holders who do not have another lawful immigration status will be required to leave the United States by March 17, 2026, or face removal proceedings.
The department has encouraged voluntary departure, while warning that those who remain after protections expire may be subject to enforcement actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Immigration attorneys and advocacy groups are preparing guidance for affected families and weighing possible legal challenges, arguing that conditions in Somalia remain unsafe and that the termination violates the humanitarian intent of the program.
PNW Daily will continue to monitor how national policy affects local border activity.
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