5 things to know about the Somali community in Minnesota after Trump’s attacks

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

Trump said on Tuesday that he doesn’t want Somalis in the United States because they “don’t contribute anything.” The president spoke shortly after a person familiar with the planning said federal authorities were preparing a targeted immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota that would focus primarily on Somali immigrants living illegally in the United States.

Here are some things to know about Somalis in Minnesota:

The largest Somali American population in the United States
An estimated 260,000 people of Somali descent were living in the United States in 2024, according to the Census Bureau’s annual American Community Survey. The largest population in Minneapolis-St. Paul area, inhabited by about 84 thousand people, most of whom are American citizens. Ohio, Washington, and California also have large populations.

Read more: Federal authorities plan operation in Minnesota focused on Somali immigrants, AP source says

Nearly 58% of Somalis in Minnesota were born in the United States. Of foreign-born Somalis in Minnesota, the overwhelming majority — 87 percent — are naturalized U.S. citizens. Among the foreign-born population, nearly half entered the United States in 2010 or later, according to the Census Bureau.

Among them are many who have fled the long civil war in their East African country, drawn to the country’s welcoming social programs.

Trump targets society

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

Trump and other administration officials intensified their criticism after the conservative City Journal newspaper alleged that taxpayer money from fraudulent government programs flowed to the Al-Shabab armed group, an al-Qaeda affiliate that controls parts of rural Somalia and has often targeted the capital, Mogadishu.

While Treasury Secretary Scott Besent said in a social media post Monday that his agency is investigating whether “hardworking Minnesotans’ tax money was diverted to the terrorist organization,” not much evidence has yet emerged to prove a connection. 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 ending temporary protected status for Somali immigrants in Minnesota, a legal safeguard against deportation. A report submitted to Congress in August estimated that the number of Somalis covered by the program was only 705 across the country.

The announcement sparked immediate reaction from some state leaders and immigration experts, who described Trump’s announcement as a legally questionable effort to sow fear and doubt.

Fraud allegations lead to pushback
Local Somali community leaders, as well as allies such as Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, have also pushed back against those who would blame the broader Somali community for some of the recent cases of widespread fraud in public programs.

These include the so-called “Feeding Our Future” scandal, which federal prosecutors say is the largest COVID-19-related fraud case in the country. It included a program aimed at feeding children during the pandemic. The defendants were accused of fraud by claiming to feed millions of meals to children. Although the alleged leader of the group was white, many of the defendants were Somali, and most were American citizens.

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

Republican candidates for governor and other offices in 2026 are pinning their hopes on voters who blame Walz for failing to prevent losses to taxpayers. Trump criticized Walz for allowing the fraud to occur during his watch.

Previous cases of terrorism still resonate in our minds
Authorities in Minnesota have struggled for years to stop the recruitment of Somali youth by the Islamic State and the Somalia-based militant group Al-Shabab.

The problem first emerged in 2007, when more than 20 young men went to Somalia, where many viewed Ethiopian forces supporting the weak UN-backed government as foreign invaders.

While most of these cases were resolved years ago, another case came to light earlier 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.
In the 2000s, ISIS also found recruits in Minnesota’s Somali community, where authorities said nearly a dozen left to join the militants in Syria.

Somalis have become a force in Minnesota politics
Arguably the most famous Somali American is Democratic US Representative Ilhan Omar, an ardent progressive whose district includes Minneapolis and who is a frequent target of Trump.

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