A federal court ruled the Trump administration may continue to prioritize Somali asylum seekers for deportation while a lawsuit against the practice continues.
Plaintiffs Hines Immigration Law and The Advocates for Human Rights expressed deep disappointment in the April 10 decision by Judge Carl Nichols in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
“The Somali Fast-Track Policy singles out one nationality and forces people through rushed immigration proceedings that make it nearly impossible to secure counsel or fairly present asylum claims,” the organizations said in a joint statement provided by Democracy Forward, which is litigating Hines Immigration Law PLLC v. Executive Office for Immigration Review, et al.
And the potential consequences are dire because Somalis are seeking protection from persecution, and the process is supposed to guarantee them a fair opportunity to do so.
“By allowing this policy to continue, Somali asylum seekers remain at risk of being pushed through a system that denies them the time and support needed to navigate complex legal proceedings,” the plaintiffs said.
Democracy Forward sees blatant discrimination behind the policy.
“The policy targets a single community and disrupts the ability of legal providers to represent their clients effectively.”
“Attorneys have reported and plaintiffs’ statistics showed that at least two-thirds of non-detained Somali cases have been fast-tracked under the policy, while non-Somali cases proceed normally, demonstrating that the policy targets a single community and disrupts the ability of legal providers to represent their clients effectively.”
Somali refugees and asylum seekers have been in the administration’s crosshairs throughout President Donald Trump’s immigrant deportation campaign.
Authorities announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status for that population in January. Minnesota’s Somali community has borne the brunt of efforts to arrest, detain and deport asylum seekers and legally resettled refugees.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) speaks during a hearing before the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee at the U.S. Capitol on February 12, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Trump has hurled repeated insults at Somalis, claiming they “destroyed Minnesota,” that they are lazy and a threat to national security. He called Somali-born U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar “garbage.”
“It is not surprising he is going after Black immigrants in this country, and it’s certainly not surprising he’s choosing a Black immigrant community that is also Muslim,” Omar said in a December report by NBC News. “Most of us are citizens” and moved to the state “because the Minnesota people, and the state, is beautiful and very welcoming and we are going to be here regardless of what the president has to say.”
According to the plaintiffs’ request for emergency relief, about 3,200 Somali nationals face pending cases in immigration court. Of those, 2,700 are not currently in detention and about half are in Minnesota.
But Nichols said his rejection of the request stemmed from his conclusion the case was unlikely to succeed on the merits. He determined the plaintiffs lack standing to sue and unlikely would be able to demonstrate that fast-track policy causes harm to their organizations.
But the harm is very real to those being unjustly singled out for harsher treatment, Democracy Forward President Skye Perryman said.
“The president’s targeting of people from Somalia has gone beyond hateful rhetoric — now by singling out Somali immigrants and forcing their cases onto an accelerated timeline that prevents them from being able to access counsel and have a fair hearing, the Trump-Vance administration is, once again, unlawfully trampling on people’s rights. That not only undermines the basic promise of fairness in our legal system, but puts lives at risk.”
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