Minnesota’s substantial Somali-American community is experiencing intensified apprehension following critical remarks from former President Donald Trump and the initiation of targeted immigration enforcement operations. Speaking at the White House, Trump declared, “I don’t want them in our country,” referring to Somali immigrants, and characterized their presence as the nation taking in “garbage.
Community representatives describe an environment of palpable fear in neighborhoods like Cedar-Riverside, known locally as Little Mogadishu for its significant Somali population. Aj Awed, executive director of the Cedar-Riverside Community Council, labeled Trump’s comments as “dangerous” and “not becoming of a president to be just attacking other Americans.”
The psychological impact coincides with operational activities by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) targeting individuals with final deportation orders. Kowsar Mohamed, a south Minneapolis resident, reported witnessing “boots on the ground activity where folks are just being plucked off of the streets and being asked about their residency status.”
Community organizations have responded with emergency preparedness measures, including legal observer training sessions organized by groups like Monarca to educate residents about their rights during immigration encounters. Private messaging networks have been established to share photographs of unmarked vehicles and masked agents throughout Minneapolis, home to over 80,000 people of Somali descent.
The political context stems from fraud allegations involving a Minnesota social assistance program during the COVID-19 pandemic, where some Somali immigrants were implicated in a scheme that allegedly cost the state tens of millions of dollars. While representing a tiny fraction of Minnesota’s Somali community, these allegations have prompted broader investigations and become the basis for Trump’s characterization of the state as a “hub of fraudulent money laundering activity.”
Governor Tim Walz has cautioned against demonizing entire communities, stating: “Do not paint an entire group of people with that same brush – demonising them, putting them at risk when there is no proof to do that.” Meanwhile, the Trump administration has terminated Temporary Protected Status for Somali residents and maintains that ICE operations target immigration status rather than specific ethnicities, with Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin asserting enforcement is based solely on whether individuals are “in the country illegally.”