Summary
President Trump and his administration have made critical remarks about Minnesota's Somali community, sparking renewed focus on this group. Minnesota is home to the largest Somali population in the U.S., with many being U.S. citizens. Federal plans include a targeted immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota focused on Somali immigrants.
Key Facts
- Minnesota has the largest Somali American population in the U.S., centered mainly in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
- Approximately 84,000 people of Somali descent live in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
- Nearly 58% of Somalis in Minnesota were born in the U.S., and 87% of foreign-born Somalis are naturalized U.S. citizens.
- President Trump criticized Somalis in the U.S., claiming they have caused trouble and falsely suggested they might have diverted funds to al-Shabaab.
- Federal prosecutors have not charged any Somali community members in Minnesota with supporting foreign terrorist organizations.
- President Trump terminated Temporary Protected Status for Somali migrants, a move that affects about 705 people nationwide.
- Some Somalis in Minnesota were implicated in a large fraud case related to COVID-19 relief funds, but many defendants were U.S. citizens, and the alleged leader was not Somali.
- Local leaders, including Minnesota's governor and mayor of Minneapolis, have defended the Somali community against broad blame for fraud.
