Former US President Donald Trump has sparked outrage after launching a virulent attack on Somali immigrants, labelling them "garbage" who should be sent back to their home country. The inflammatory comments, made during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, coincided with credible reports of a significant escalation in immigration enforcement targeting the Somali community in Minnesota.
Xenophobic Rant and Targeted Enforcement
In a diatribe captured at the White House, Trump disparaged both Somali immigrants and US Representative Ilhan Omar, a Somali-American congresswoman and citizen. He asserted that Somalia "stinks" and is "no good for a reason," claiming immigrants from the country contribute nothing. Trump explicitly stated, "I don't want them in our country," and described Omar as "garbage." He warned, "we're going to go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country."
This rhetoric aligns with a reported federal operation. According to The New York Times and confirmed by the Associated Press, a major deportation effort is underway this week in the Minneapolis-St Paul metropolitan area, home to the largest Somali population in the United States. The operation, involving approximately 100 federal agents brought in as "strike teams," is said to focus on Somalis with final deportation orders.
Political Context and Community Backlash
The enforcement push follows right-wing focus on several fraud cases in Minnesota, spanning years, involving dozens of Somali residents accused of falsifying claims for state benefits. The Trump administration has previously threatened to revoke temporary protected status for Somalis in the state, alleging it is a "hub of fraudulent money laundering activity." Furthermore, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced an investigation on Monday into whether Minnesotan taxpayer funds had been diverted to the terrorist group Al-Shabaab, citing a report from a right-wing outlet.
In response to the "credible reports" of increased enforcement, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey held a press conference on Tuesday to express solidarity with the Somali community. Frey declared, "To our Somali community, we love you and we stand with you. That commitment is rock solid." He warned that such targeted operations risk violating due process, leading to mistakes, and could result in the detention of American citizens solely "because they look Somali." Minneapolis police do not assist with immigration enforcement and are not given advance notice of such operations.
Significance of the Somali Community in Minnesota
The state of Minnesota, and Minneapolis in particular, is a central hub for the Somali diaspora in America. An estimated 80,000 Somalis live in the state, the majority of whom are either US citizens or legal residents. The community is well-established and represents a significant part of the local social and economic fabric. The reported federal actions and the former president's vitriolic comments have therefore sent shockwaves through a population that has called the United States home for decades.
The events highlight the continued potency of immigration as a divisive political issue in the United States, with rhetoric from the highest levels of government directly impacting specific ethnic communities and shaping national policy debates.
