18 US attorneys general back court challenge to the end of protected status for Somalis
Minnesota's Keith Ellison and 17 other state attorneys general filed a brief asking an appeals court to block the government from ending Temporary Protected Status for Somali immigrants.
By Eyob Hadgu · 28 October 2026
A demonstrator wrapped in the Somali flag near the US Capitol, shown in an illustration. (Illustration)
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and 17 other state attorneys general filed a brief on 26 October supporting a legal challenge to the end of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somali immigrants, Fox 9 reported.
The case, African Communities Together v. Mullin, asks an appeals court to overturn a lower court's refusal to block the Department of Homeland Security from ending TPS for Somalis. It is Ellison's second filing on the issue this year.
What the states argue
The coalition argues that ending TPS would harm families, state economies and public health, and would push people into undocumented status. The brief cites about 3,850 Somali immigrants who hold TPS or have applications pending, and at least 53,000 Somali immigrants nationwide, including at least 37,500 in Minnesota.
Ellison said the administration's decision "isn't only cruel, it's harmful to communities across Minnesota," according to Fox 9.
How Somalia lost TPS
Somalia was first designated for TPS in 1991, and the designation stayed in place for more than three decades. President Trump announced in November 2025 that he would end it for Somalis in Minnesota, and DHS revoked TPS for Somali immigrants on 14 August 2026, Fox 9 reported.
TPS lets people from countries affected by conflict or disaster live and work in the United States temporarily.
This report draws on reporting by Fox 9.
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