Somali Community in Minnesota Faces Challenges Amid Political Tensions
Women walk down a street in the predominantly Somali neighborhood of Cedar-Riverside in Minneapolis in 2022. The Twin Cities is a hub for Somalis in the U.S.
Jessie Wardarski/AP
Jessie Wardarski/AP
Minnesota is home to the largest Somali community in the United States, which has recently been the focus of critical remarks from former President Trump.
In a recent statement, Trump referred to Somali immigrants as “garbage,” suggesting they should return to their homeland. He further commented, “they’ve destroyed our country and all they do is complain, complain, complain.”
These comments follow Trump’s previous threat to revoke temporary legal protections for Somali migrants residing in Minnesota.
Recent criminal investigations and allegations of fraud within Minnesota’s social services, some involving Somali individuals, have been leveraged by Trump and conservative figures to criticize the community.
Federal authorities, as reported by The Associated Press and other outlets, are preparing an immigration enforcement operation targeting Minnesota’s Somali population.
According to Wilder Research, nearly 80,000 individuals of Somali descent live in Minnesota, with around 78% residing in the Twin Cities area.
The initial wave of Somali immigration to the U.S. in the late 1990s saw arrivals in Marshall, Minnesota, instead of the Twin Cities. Author Ahmed Ismail Yusuf, who wrote Somalis in Minnesota, notes that Somali refugees were drawn to job opportunities in meat-packing and later in hospitality and transportation sectors.
During Somalia’s civil war, hundreds of thousands fled, and those who came to Marshall found work and started a new community, eventually expanding into the Twin Cities.
The Somali community in Minneapolis and St. Paul was attracted to Minnesota’s reputation for martisoor, or hospitality, as its liberal and welcoming attitudes resonated with the newcomers’ values, Yusuf explains.
However, the integration process wasn’t without challenges. Some religious Somalis have encountered difficulties practicing their faith, including prayer routines and wearing the hijab, as documented by the Minnesota Historical Society.
The Somali community has also faced issues related to its perceived association with Islamic extremism, partly due to being targeted by ISIS recruitment efforts over a decade ago.
Despite these challenges, Yusuf states that the Somali population in Minnesota has continued to grow and contribute positively to the community and the state. “Right now, wherever you go, still we’re serving the people, we are serving the community, we are serving the state,” he said.
Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Somali refugee herself, became the first Somali American elected to Congress in 2018.
Trump recently remarked that Omar “shouldn’t be allowed to be a congresswoman,” suggesting she should be expelled from the country.
Omar responded in a social media post, calling Trump’s focus on her “creepy” and suggesting he needs help.
Previously, Trump had tweeted that Omar and other congresswomen should “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime-infested places from which they came,” which led to chants of “Send her back” at a subsequent rally.
Yusuf emphasizes the community feels “a bit under siege” but acknowledges the support from local leaders like Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter. “We are dealing with this,” Yusuf said, “but we are not dealing with it alone.”
