Trump calls Somali immigrants ‘garbage’ as US reportedly targets Minnesota community | Trump administration
Donald Trump on Tuesday called Somali immigrants “garbage” and said they should be sent back home, a rant that came as the administration reportedly stepped up immigration enforcement on undocumented Somalis in Minnesota.
With a xenophobic rhetoric during the cabinet meeting, Trump attacked Somalis and representative Ilhan Omar, a Somali and US citizen. He said Somalia was “bad” and “not good for some reason.”
“They contribute nothing. I don’t want them in our country, I’ll be honest with you,” he said. He called Ömer “garbage” and said, “If we continue to bring garbage into our country, we will go down the wrong path.”
“These are people who do nothing but complain,” he said. “They complain and they get nothing from where they come from. … When they come from hell and do nothing but complain and bitch, we don’t want them in our country. “Let them go back to where they came from and fix it.”
New York Times reported It was announced on Tuesday that deportation efforts in the Minneapolis-St Paul metropolitan area, where most Somalis reside, will step up this week, focusing primarily on Somalis with final deportation orders. According to the Times report, “strike teams” consisting of ICE agents and other federal officials will be used in this operation and approximately 100 agents will be brought in from across the country. Other media outlets, including the Associated Press, also confirmed the news.
The move comes after the right has seized on multiple fraud cases spanning many years, involving dozens of Somali residents who prosecutors allege lied to the state to get reimbursements for food payments, medical care, housing and autism services. The Trump administration has previously threatened to revoke the temporary protected status of Somalis in Minnesota, calling the state a “center of fraudulent money laundering activity.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also announced Monday that his agency will investigate whether taxpayer dollars from Minnesotans “were diverted to the terrorist organization Al-Shabaab,” sharing a recent story from a right-wing publication that made such claims.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other city leaders held a news conference Tuesday to respond to “credible reports” of increased enforcement. Frey said the city stands with the Somali community. Minneapolis police do not assist with immigration enforcement, and the police chief said the department received no advance notice of any operations.
“As our Somali community, we love you and we stand with you,” Frey said. “That commitment is rock-solid.”
Minneapolis is home to the country’s largest Somali population, with approximately 80,000 people. Most are US citizens or legal residents.
“Targeting the Somali people means violating due process, making mistakes, and let’s be clear, it means American citizens will not be detained for any reason other than because they look Somali,” Frey said.
