Trump Ramps Up Attacks on Somali Community Amid Reports of Targeted Minnesota Enforcement Sweep
President Donald Trump sharply escalated his rhetoric against the Somali immigrant community on Tuesday, just as multiple news outlets reported that federal authorities are preparing a targeted immigration enforcement operation in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area of Minnesota. Speaking to reporters during a Cabinet meeting, the President made explicit and inflammatory statements regarding Somali migrants, claiming they are overly reliant on welfare, “contribute nothing,” and stating, “I don’t want them in our country.” He further directed personal attacks against prominent Somali American figures, calling Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, whose family fled the civil war in Somalia, “garbage.”
The President’s comments intensified an existing focus on Minnesota’s Somali population, which comes after his administration announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somali nationals last month and amid reports of extensive fraud cases within the state’s social service programs, though most individuals charged in those schemes are American citizens. Furthermore, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that his agency is investigating claims that money defrauded from Minnesota state programs may have been diverted to the terrorist organization Al-Shabaab.
Multiple sources familiar with the planning, speaking anonymously, confirmed to news agencies that a high-priority, directed immigration enforcement sweep is expected to begin in the coming days in the Twin Cities region. The operation, which could reportedly involve over 100 federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, is set to focus primarily on undocumented Somali immigrants who have final orders of deportation. While the Department of Homeland Security declined to confirm future operations, a spokesperson noted that ICE enforces the law without regard to race or ethnicity. In response to the planned operation and the President’s rhetoric, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other city leaders held a press conference to denounce the potential profiling of the community, with the Mayor vowing that Minneapolis police officers will not assist federal agents in immigration enforcement.
