Minnesota’s Somali community braces for immigration crackdown

Somali Americans in Minnesota spoke of their growing concerns after US President Donald Trump intensified his criticism of the community this week.

Community leaders told the BBC that “fear has become clear” after Trump’s comments, in which he said he did not want Somalis in the United States and that the country “will go in the wrong direction if we continue to receive garbage.”

“When you’re targeted by the president of the United States, it’s really not a good feeling,” said Aj Awad, executive director of the Cedar Riverside Community Council, which represents a city known as Little Mogadishu for its large Somali population.

Concerns were also heightened by reports that officials had begun an enforcement operation in Minnesota targeting illegal immigrants.

Mr. Awad said the council would discuss the risks of holding an annual event scheduled for next week in person because of the process.

“The people who get into this problem are people who don’t speak English well, but have been citizens for decades,” he said. “Just because you have an accent doesn’t make you any less American.”

Trump made insulting comments criticizing the Somali community at the White House on Tuesday. “I don’t want them in our country, I’ll be honest with you… Their country is not good for some reason,” he said.

Owaid said the comments were “dangerous,” adding that “it is not appropriate for the president to just attack other Americans.”

The president was responding to a question about whether Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz should resign over allegations of widespread fraud in the state’s social assistance program.

Dozens of people have been charged in connection with a scheme that federal prosecutors say involved a charity sending fraudulent invoices to the Minnesota state government for meals for children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A number of Somali migrants were involved in this alleged scheme, which ultimately cost the state tens of millions of dollars, according to Kaysie Magan, a human rights activist. A former investigator for the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office.

While those accused of involvement represent a small portion of Minnesota’s large Somali population, Trump has repeatedly criticized the Somali community, writing in a post last month that the state has become a “hub for fraudulent money laundering activity” and claiming last week that “hundreds of thousands of Somalis are stealing from our country.”

The House Oversight Committee said on Wednesday that it had opened an investigation into Walz’s handling of the relief plan.

The Trump administration said it is also looking into allegations that Minnesota tax dollars are being funneled to Al-Shabab, an Al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamist group based in Somalia.

Asked about the allegations last month, Walz said: “Don’t paint a whole group of people with the same brush — to demonize them, to endanger them when there’s no evidence to do so.

“But if you want to help us and want to go after the criminals and make sure there is no connection to them or know where the money went, we welcome that.”

Jamal Othman, a member of the Minneapolis City Council, moved to the United States when he was 14 years old and is a naturalized citizen.

“Anyone who looks like me [is] “I’m scared right now,” he told CBS News.

Among the fraud allegations that Trump repeatedly referred to in his criticisms of the Somali community, Osman said: “My community is upset. Yes, people commit crimes, but the entire community should not be blamed based on what some individuals did.”

The Trump administration has ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) — a program for immigrants from countries in crisis — for Somali residents living in Minnesota.

She said that the implementation process will target those against whom final deportation orders have been issued. This process began on Wednesday, according to CBS News, the BBC’s partner in the US.

“Immigration and Customs Enforcement is already here,” said Kawsar Muhammad, who lives in south Minneapolis. The city is home to more than 80,000 people of Somali origin.

“We are seeing activity on the ground where people are being picked up off the streets and asked about their residency status. This is not a data-driven approach,” she said.

“Most people have the necessary definition, so the fear is not about the evidence. The fear is about mistakes being made.”

A spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement, denied targeting any people based on race.

“Every day, ICE enforces the laws of the land across the country,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “What makes someone a target of ICE is not their race or ethnicity, but the fact that they are in the country illegally.”

Ms. Mohammed said community organizations had expected increased immigration enforcement, but after Trump’s comments, they stepped up preparations.

One organization, Monarca, has scheduled a “legal observer training” in Minneapolis to educate people about their rights when witnessing federal immigration activity.

Other ways the community is preparing itself are by having emergency contacts ready to use in the event of ICE encounters, and private messaging groups where people share photos of unmarked cars and masked agents, Ms. Muhammad said.

“Everyone will be in a caution zone,” she said.

“Is there fear? Sure. But no one follows his tail.”