ICE Director Todd Lyons: Fraud in Asylum Programs Threatens Communities

By Jim Thomas | Thursday, 27 November 2025 09:16 PM EST
ICE director Todd Lyons addressed Newsmax on Thursday, highlighting concerns over widespread fraud in asylum and temporary protective status programs, which he claims undermines lawful immigrants and exposes communities to risks. He specifically cited President Donald Trump’s push for an immediate end to TPS protections for Somali nationals living in Minnesota.

Lyons responded to questions about potential federal action following Trump’s call to terminate TPS for Somalis once Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem initiates the process. When asked if agents would enter Minneapolis neighborhood known as Little Mogadishu if TPS is lifted, Lyons stated that ICE prepares for any shift in legal status. “We enforce the laws the way they’re written,” he said. “If someone’s temporary protective status is lifted, they are now illegal aliens. We will go ahead and remove those criminal elements of our neighborhoods.”

The state has faced several high-profile fraud cases, including prosecutions from fraud in state-funded programs. Congressional data revealed 705 Somali nationals in the U.S. hold temporary protected status. Somalia first received the designation in 1991 during its civil war. The TPS program allows qualified migrants to remain in the U.S. and seek work authorization if their home country faces extraordinary conditions such as conflict or natural disaster.

Lyons emphasized that misuse of asylum and TPS has far-reaching effects on those attempting to enter the country legally. “It takes away from those individuals that really want to be here lawfully,” he said. “We do have to remove those elements out of here.” He added that 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.”

Lyons concluded by stating, “We have to ensure we remove those people from our communities.”