The administration of United States President Donald Trump has terminated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nationals of Somalia and South Sudan living in the United States, adding to a broader rollback of the humanitarian immigration programme.
The move further narrows a programme that allows eligible nationals of designated countries to remain and work legally in the US when conditions in their home countries make a safe return impossible.
According to alerts updated on the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website on August 14 and reviewed on Sunday, Somalia and South Sudan were the latest countries to lose TPS after their designations ended on August 14 and August 7, 2026, respectively.
USCIS said the decisions followed determinations by then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that the two countries no longer met the statutory conditions required for TPS.
“After reviewing country conditions and consulting with the appropriate U.S. government agencies, former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem determined that Somalia no longer met the conditions for its designation for Temporary Protected Status (TPS),” the agency said.
USCIS added: “The Somalia TPS designation is terminated, effective August 14, 2026.”
For South Sudan, the agency said Noem had similarly determined that the country no longer met the conditions for TPS. “The South Sudan TPS designation is terminated, effective Aug. 7, 2026,” it said.
TPS is a temporary humanitarian protection granted to eligible nationals of designated countries who are already in the US and cannot safely return home because of armed conflict, natural disasters or other extraordinary and temporary conditions.
Under the programme, beneficiaries are protected from removal and may obtain employment authorisation and, in some circumstances, permission to travel outside the US during the designated period.
TPS, however, does not itself provide a pathway to lawful permanent residence or confer another immigration status.
The termination of a country’s TPS designation also does not automatically mean that every affected beneficiary will be deported. Some individuals may hold another lawful immigration status or qualify for other forms of immigration relief.
According to USCIS, countries whose TPS designations have been terminated include:
- Haiti
- Syria
- Yemen
- Afghanistan
- Cameroon
- Nepal
- Honduras
- Nicaragua
- Venezuela
- South Sudan
- Myanmar
- Somalia
The agency also noted that the status of some TPS terminations remains subject to litigation.
In the case of Ethiopia, USCIS said a federal judge in Massachusetts stayed the termination of the country’s TPS designation in January 2026 while the government considered its next steps.
Court proceedings have similarly affected TPS terminations involving Honduras, Nepal and Nicaragua, according to the agency.
The latest decisions are part of the Trump administration’s broader review of TPS designations, which has resulted in the termination or attempted termination of protections for nationals of several countries.
