US President Donald Trump launched a harsh verbal attack on Somali immigrants while federal authorities prepared a major crackdown targeting undocumented Somalis in Minnesota. Speaking to reporters, he claimed without evidence that Somalis “contribute nothing” to the United States and described them using derogatory terms.
His comments followed a series of similar remarks he has made about the Somali community and about Representative Ilhan Omar, whom he also insulted. Trump’s administration has recently paused immigration from 19 “high-risk” countries and reduced next year’s refugee admissions to 7,500, prioritising white South Africans. Reports also emerged that ICE plans to carry out raids in Somali neighbourhoods in the Minneapolis–St Paul area, prompting Minnesota leaders to condemn the move and pledge noncooperation.
Local officials, including the governor and Minneapolis’s mayor, expressed strong support for Somali residents and denounced the planned operation as discriminatory and frightening. Trump has continued to target the Somali community in recent weeks, including announcing an end to Temporary Protected Status and echoing unverified allegations of welfare fraud. The Somali community in the US numbers about 260,000 people, with the largest population in Minnesota, where many have settled over the past several decades.