Governor Mark Dayton and Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith are applauding the Trump administration’s decision to extend Temporary Protected Status for Somali refugees, the governor saying it will “provide a life-saving protection to many good Minnesotans.” But leaders of Minnesota’s Somali community say it leaves many families out. Jaylani Hussein with the Council on American Islamic Relations Minnesota says 500 families are relieved, but over a thousand could still face deportation. “For many of them, going back to Somalia poses a great deal of threat to them from the current war-torn conflict as well as also the humanitarian crisis going on there,” he says.
Hussein says 500 families are eligible for protected status for another 18 months, but over a thousand won’t have that option because the federal government only extended Temporary Protected Status but did not reinstate it.
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