United States
Somalis held: 1,100+people who lost Temporary Protected Status in January 2026, plus those already under removal orders; ICE does not publish a running total
Deportations of Somalis from the United States have run in waves since 2016. In 2026 they stopped being exceptional: protection ended, the arrests moved into the community, and men were held at Guantánamo Bay before being flown to Mogadishu.
What is known
January 2026
The Department of Homeland Security ended Temporary Protected Status for Somalia, removing deportation protection and work permits from about 1,100 people. The notice said security had improved and returnees could live in "safer parts of the country, such as Somaliland." aljazeera.com
December 2025
"Operation Metro Surge": masked immigration agents arrested Somali men across Minneapolis–St Paul, home to the largest Somali community in the United States. Adam Abdullah, 31, a mechanic with a pending asylum claim and two parking tickets, was arrested on 12 December. mprnews.org
August–September 2026
Twelve Somali men were put on a flight from Louisiana they were told was bound for Somalia; it landed at the US naval base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, where they were held shackled, in cold cells, for about a month. "Nobody tell us that we're going to Guantanamo Bay. Just like kidnapping," one of them, Sakariye Abdi Mohamed, said by phone. motherjones.com
24 September 2026
Eight of the men were deported to Mogadishu: chained throughout a flight via Puerto Rico, Dakar and Nairobi, then transferred to a Somali airline for the last leg. Their lawyer said that because they held final removal orders, the transfer through Guantánamo appeared lawful. ICE had removed their location from its public detainee database. mprnews.org
2017 (precedent)
Ninety-two Somalis were shackled for nearly 48 hours on a failed deportation flight that sat 23 hours on the runway in Dakar; a class action alleged beatings and straitjackets. ICE deported 521 Somalis that year, the most of any African nationality. foxnews.com
Open questions
- Who are the eight men deported on 24 September, and where are they now? Were any met by NISA or police on arrival?
- How many of the 1,100 people who lost TPS have been detained since January?
- What happens to deportees who have no family, no clan network, and no Somali language on arrival in Mogadishu?
- Are deportees being detained in Somalia on arrival, as has been reported for returnees from other countries?
Cases
| Date | Who | Country | What happened | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-24 | Adam Abdullah | United States | Arrested in Minneapolis 12 December 2025 with no criminal record beyond parking tickets; held in three states, then about a month at Guantánamo Bay; deported to Mogadishu 24 September 2026 via Dakar and Nairobi. | Deported to Mogadishu | mprnews.org |
| 2026-09-24 | Seven other Somali men (names not yet published) | United States | Deported with Adam Abdullah on the same flight from Guantánamo Bay; ICE described the group as having charges or convictions for assault, weapons or robbery. | Deported to Mogadishu | newsnationnow.com |
| 2026-09 | Sakariye Abdi Mohamed | United States | One of twelve men flown from Louisiana to Guantánamo Bay in late August; described being shackled and held in cold cells; spoke to Mother Jones by phone from the base. | Held at Guantánamo as of mid-September; OPR seeking confirmation | motherjones.com |
Answer one of these questions
If you were held in United States, or you know someone who was, or you work in the system: give a testimony, pitch a piece, or WhatsApp OPR at +252 61 977 5580. In Somali or English. Named or not.