ICE Director Warns of Fraud Risks as Trump Pushes for TPS Termination for Somalians
By Jim Thomas | Thursday, 27 November 2025 09:16 PM EST
ICE director Todd Lyons addressed Newsmax on Thursday about widespread fraud in asylum and temporary protected status programs, stating that it undermines lawful immigrants and leaves communities exposed. This came as President Donald Trump pushes for an immediate end to TPS protections for Somali nationals living in Minnesota.
Appearing on “Rob Schmitt Tonight,” Lyons fielded questions about what federal action may follow Trump’s call to immediately terminate TPS for Somali residents once Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem formally initiates the process. Schmitt asked whether agents would enter the Minneapolis neighborhood known as Little Mogadishu if TPS is lifted. Lyons said ICE prepares for any shift in legal status.
“Yep, so, you know, ICE, obviously, you know, we enforce the laws the way they’re written, right? And so if someone’s temporary protective status is lifted, which has happened many times to different countries and nationalities, but we’re ready to take action,” he said. “And that’s what we do, right? When someone’s temporary protected status is lifted, they are now illegal aliens. They’re here in the country illegally. And we will go ahead and remove those criminal elements of our neighborhoods.”
The state has faced a series of high-profile fraud cases, including prosecutions stemming from fraud in state-funded programs. Congressional data released earlier this year reported that 705 Somali nationals in the United States hold temporary protected status. Somalia first received the designation in 1991 during the country’s civil war.
The TPS program allows qualified migrants to remain in the United States and seek work authorization if their home country faces extraordinary conditions such as conflict or natural disaster. Lyons said the misuse of asylum and TPS has far-reaching effects on people who attempt to enter the country legally. “One thing for me is the fact that when you think about what TPS is actually created for, right? What the asylum process is created for, when you think about how many people take advantage of that, when there are so many individuals that want to come to the United States for a better life, yet there’s so many people that criminally come here and use fraud or other fraudulent means to enjoy the American dream.”
“It takes away from those individuals that really want to be here lawfully, right? So we do have to remove those elements out of here. And if temporary protective status is lifted for the Somali community, whether it’s Minneapolis, could be Philadelphia, it could be anywhere. We’re going to go ahead and remove those elements out of our country, because at that point, especially if they came here under false pretenses, you know, that’s what ICE does as a law enforcement mission.”
“We have to ensure we remove those people from our communities,” he concluded.
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.
