Trump targets Minnesota’s Somali community with harsh words and policies

MINNEAPOLIS — Recent statements by President Trump and top administration officials disparaging Minnesota’s large Somali community have focused renewed attention on the immigrants from the war-torn East African country and their descendants.

Trump on Tuesday said he did not want Somalis in the U.S. because “they contribute nothing.” The president spoke soon after a person familiar with the planning said federal authorities are preparing a targeted immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota that would primarily focus on Somali immigrants living unlawfully in the U.S.

Here are some things to know about Somalis in Minnesota:

Largest Somali American population in the U.S.

An estimated 260,000 people of Somali descent were living in the U.S. in 2024, according to the Census Bureau’s annual American Community Survey. The largest population is in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, home to about 84,000 residents, most of whom are American citizens. Ohio, Washington and California also have significant populations.

Almost 58% of the Somalis in Minnesota were born in the U.S. Of the foreign-born Somalis in Minnesota, an overwhelming majority — 87% — are naturalized U.S. citizens. Of the foreign-born population, almost half entered the U.S. in 2010 or later, according to the Census Bureau.

They include many who fled the long civil war in their East African country and were drawn to the state’s welcoming social programs.

Trump targets the community

Trump has become increasingly focused in recent weeks on Somalis living in the U.S., saying they “have caused a lot of trouble.”

He and other administration officials stepped up their criticism after a conservative news outlet, City Journal, claimed that taxpayer dollars from defrauded government programs have flowed to the militant group Al Shabab, an affiliate of the Al Qaeda terrorist network that controls parts of rural Somalia and often has targeted the capital, Mogadishu.

Although Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a social media post Monday that his agency is investigating whether “hardworking Minnesotans’ tax dollars may have been diverted to the terrorist organization,” little evidence has emerged so far to prove a link. Federal prosecutors have not charged any of the dozens of defendants in recent public program fraud cases in Minnesota with providing material support to foreign terrorist organizations.

Last month, Trump said he was terminating Temporary Protected Status for Somali migrants in Minnesota, a legal safeguard against deportation. A report produced for Congress in August put the number of Somalis covered by the program at 705 nationwide.

The announcement drew immediate pushback from some state leaders and immigration experts, who characterized Trump’s declaration as a legally dubious effort to sow fear and suspicion.

Fraud allegations lead to pushback

Local Somali community leaders, as well as allies including Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, have also pushed back against those who might blame the broader Somali community for some recent cases of massive fraud in public programs.

Those include what is known as the Feeding Our Future scandal, which federal prosecutors say was the country’s largest COVID-19-related fraud case. It involved a program meant to feed children during the pandemic. The defendants were accused of fraudulently claiming to be feeding millions of meals to children. Although the alleged ringleader was white, many of the defendants were Somalis, and most of them were U.S. citizens.

Prosecutors in recent months have raised their estimate of the thefts to $300 million from an original $250 million, and the number of defendants last month grew to 78. The cases are still working their way through the court system.

Republican candidates for governor and other offices in 2026 are staking their hopes on voters blaming Walz for failing to prevent the losses to taxpayers. Trump has blasted Walz for allowing the fraud to unfold on his watch.

Earlier terrorism cases still echo

Authorities in Minnesota have struggled for years to stem the recruiting of young Somali men by the extremist group Islamic State and the Somalia-based militant group Al Shabab.

The problem first surfaced in 2007, when more than 20 young men went to Somalia, where Ethiopian troops propping up a weak United Nations-backed government were seen by many as foreign invaders.

Although most of those cases were resolved years ago, another came to light this year. A 23-year-old defendant pleaded guilty in September to attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Mostly in the 2010s, Islamic State also found recruits in Minnesota’s Somali community, with authorities saying roughly a dozen left to join militants in Syria.

Somalis have become a force in Minnesota politics

The best-known Somali American is arguably Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, a fiery progressive whose district includes Minneapolis and who is a frequent target of Trump.

Several other Somali Americans have served in the Minnesota Legislature and the Minneapolis and St. Paul city councils. State Sen. Omar Fateh, a democratic socialist, finished second in the Minneapolis mayoral election in November to incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey.

Karnowski writes for the Associated Press.