Initially Welcomed in Minnesota, Immigrants Fleeing Violence Are Finding It Harder To Stay

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There are an estimated 16,000 Ukrainians living and working in Minnesota. The DHS doesn’t break down how many have TPS by nation of origin and receiving state, but for the more than 100,000 Ukrainians estimated to have TPS nationally, there are worries the U.S. will terminate their protections after October.

Since Trump took office, he has not extended TPS for any nationality and has instead attempted to terminate it for people from 13 countries: Yemen, Somalia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Haiti, Burma, Syria, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Honduras, Nepal, Cameroon and Afghanistan.

As of March 2025, about 8,500 TPS holders live in Minnesota, according to the National Immigration Forum. Most are now at risk of deportation, alarming immigrant rights groups.

“This has never occurred where, systematically, the administration has canceled every single TPS country that’s come up for review,” said Razeen Zaman, a lawyer with the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund. {snip}

In its latest termination notice, for Yemen, the DHS revealed its decision to end TPS wasn’t based on the country’s recovery. Houthi rebels now control most of Yemen, and the U.S. State Department’s travel advisory instructs Americans to “draft a will” if they must go. Rather, the administration believes it’s a “national security” risk to continue the program.

“Congress never intended Temporary Protected Status to be a de facto asylum program, yet it has been abused to the point where it has become one,” Tragesser, of USCIS, said in a statement.

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