In a statement posted Friday on his Truth Social account, President Donald Trump declared that he is immediately terminating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somali nationals residing in Minnesota. His announcement, presented as an executive action, linked the decision to allegations of widespread fraud and criminal activity involving members of the state’s Somali community.
“Minnesota, under Governor Waltz [Tim Walz], is a hub of fraudulent money laundering activity,” Trump wrote, asserting that the TPS program for Somalis in the state would end “effective immediately.” Trump further claimed that Somali gangs were destabilizing local communities and referenced purportedly missing government funds. “Send them back to where they came from. It’s OVER,” he added, sparking sharp reactions across political and civic spheres.
Trump’s message followed a City Journal report published Wednesday that cited unnamed sources alleging that portions of stolen Minnesota welfare funds were covertly transferred to al-Shabab, an extremist group affiliated with al-Qaida. According to the report, millions of dollars intended for state assistance programs were diverted through clan-based financial systems and informal money-transfer networks, then laundered overseas.
These allegations come amid what prosecutors describe as one of the most significant welfare-fraud cases in Minnesota’s history. Investigators have suggested that the cumulative losses across multiple Department of Human Services programs may reach into the hundreds of millions of dollars. The City Journal report emphasized that while the alleged transfers were large in scale, it did not specify which programs were affected or when the diversion occurred.
Part of the alleged operation relied on the use of “hawala” networks — informal, trust-based systems of transferring funds, commonly used in East Africa and across various diaspora communities. Because hawala transfers often bypass traditional banking systems, tracking funds once they leave the United States can be challenging for investigators
An unnamed source with prior law-enforcement contracting experience on counterterrorism issues told City Journal that Minnesota taxpayers had inadvertently become a significant funding source for al-Shabab. The group, which operates primarily in Somalia and parts of East Africa, has been described by security analysts as one of the most financially robust components of al-Qaida. As of 2025, al-Shabab has been linked to more American deaths than any other al-Qaida affiliate.
The report also referenced the 2024 conviction of Cholo Abdi Abdullah, a Kenyan national and al-Shabab operative, who was found guilty of planning a 9/11-style attack on Atlanta.
Federal authorities have already brought charges in some related cases. A spokesperson for the Department of Justice confirmed to City Journal that six of the eight individuals charged in September with fraud involving Minnesota’s Housing Stabilization Services program were of Somali descent. Citing pervasive abuse and mismanagement, the state closed the program entirely on October 31.
Trump’s Truth Social declaration, however, raises significant legal and procedural questions. TPS determinations are governed by federal law and typically require formal processes, including Department of Homeland Security review, rather than unilateral announcements. Immigration advocates and legal experts have already begun scrutinizing Trump’s statement, noting that TPS is a nationwide designation, not one applied or withdrawn on a state-by-state basis.
As public officials and community leaders respond, the announcement has intensified debates over immigration policy, fraud oversight, community relations, and national security — with Minnesota’s Somali population, one of the largest in the United States, at the center of the conversation.
