'I'd rather live in hiding in the US than return to Somalia'
Thousands of Somali migrants in Minnesota remain on edge after a court paused the suspension of Temporary Protected Status. BBC interviews from Minneapolis show that families are still reluctant to return because of fighting in southern Somalia. Lawyers say new cases could reopen the door to renewed protection.
Reporting from Minnesota for BBC Africa, the broadcaster says the Somali community living under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) remains anxious despite a federal court pausing the Trump administration's decision to end the programme early. Many families are staying close to home in suburbs of Minneapolis and trying not to pull their children out of school.
Interviewees say that armed violence by al-Shabab and the drought in southern Somalia are still not under control. UN figures show more than two million people in the country require humanitarian aid. As a result, a portion of the migrants say they would rather live in the United States without legal status, in hiding if needed, than return.
Immigration lawyers say the court's interim ruling protects the community from deportation for six months. If Congress does not pass a new protection programme in that time, fresh cases are expected to be filed. Somali civil society groups have requested a meeting with the White House. The State Department has not commented publicly.
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