The Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday that it will extend Temporary Protected Status for Somalian nationals who qualify for the program.

Key points:

  • TPS for Somalia will be extended 18 months, through March 17, 2020.
  • More information about the extension, including information about the TPS reregistration process, is expected soon and will be published in the Federal Register.

Background: The U.S. first designated Somalia for TPS in 1991 and redesignated the status in 2001 and 2012. In a statement, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen M. Nielsen said that DHS had determined that “ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions that support Somalia’s current designation for TPS continue to exist.” DHS will review conditions in Somalia at some point before March 17, 2020 to determine whether TPS should be extended again or terminated. There are about 500 Somali TPS beneficiaries in the U.S., according to DHS.

BAL Analysis: The Trump administration has moved to end TPS designation for a number of countries, including El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua and Sudan. The administration has extended TPS designations for South Sudan, Syria, Yemen and, now, Somalia. BAL will provide details about re-registration processes once they become available.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice group. For additional information, please contact berryapplemanleiden@bal.com.

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