Former US President Donald Trump has sparked outrage after launching a virulent attack on Somali immigrants, labelling them "garbage" and stating they should be sent back to their home country. The xenophobic comments, made during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, coincided with credible reports of a significant escalation in US immigration enforcement specifically targeting the Somali community in Minnesota.
A Xenophobic Tirade and Political Target
In a wide-ranging and inflammatory rant, Trump did not limit his criticism to undocumented individuals but also targeted US Representative Ilhan Omar, a naturalised American citizen who was born in Somalia. He claimed Somalia "stinks" and is "no good for a reason," before asserting that such immigrants "contribute nothing."
"I don't want them in our country, I'll be honest with you," Trump stated. He went on to call Omar "garbage" and warned, "we're going to go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country." He further claimed these were "people who do nothing but complain" and suggested they should "go back to where they came from and fix it."
Coinciding Reports of Major Deployment Operation
The verbal assault aligns with a major operational shift by US immigration authorities. According to a report in The New York Times, confirmed by other outlets including the Associated Press, the Minneapolis-St Paul metropolitan area is facing a stepped-up deportation effort this week.
The operation is said to be focusing primarily on Somalis who have final orders for removal from the United States. To execute this, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is reportedly deploying "strike teams," bringing in approximately 100 agents from across the nation.
This enforcement push follows the political right seizing upon several fraud cases in Minnesota, some spanning years, which involve dozens of Somali residents accused of falsely claiming state reimbursements. The Trump administration has previously cited Minnesota as a "hub of fraudulent money laundering activity" when threatening to revoke temporary protected status for Somalis.
Local Backlash and Community Solidarity
The reports prompted an immediate response from local leaders in Minneapolis. Mayor Jacob Frey held a press conference on Tuesday, stating the city had received "credible reports" of the increased enforcement actions.
"To our Somali community, we love you and we stand with you," Frey declared. "That commitment is rock solid." He emphasised that Minneapolis police do not assist with federal immigration enforcement and are not given advance notice of such operations.
Frey issued a stark warning about the consequences of ethnically targeted enforcement: "Targeting Somali people means that due process will be violated, mistakes will be made, and let's be clear, it means that American citizens will be detained for no other reason than they look Somali."
Minneapolis is home to the largest Somali population in the United States, with an estimated 80,000 individuals residing in Minnesota. The vast majority are either US citizens or legal residents.
In a related development, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on Monday that his agency would investigate claims, originating from a right-wing outlet, that taxpayer money from Minnesotans had been diverted to the terrorist group Al-Shabaab.
