President Donald Trump has intensified his verbal assault on Somali immigrants, stating during a Cabinet meeting that he believes they should not be admitted into the U.S. and are a drain on public welfare. These strong remarks coincided with news of an impending targeted immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota, a state known for its large Somali American community.
“They contribute nothing. I don’t want them in our country,” Trump told reporters, reiterating his critical stance. He further elaborated on his views, stating, “Their country is no good for a reason. Your country stinks and we don’t want them in our country.” The President also renewed his attacks on Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar, whose family’s journey to the U.S. involved fleeing the Somali civil war and residing in a refugee camp in Kenya.
Trump controversially labeled Omar as “garbage,” saying, “Ilhan Omar is garbage. She’s garbage. Her friends are garbage.” He described Somali immigrants as people who “do nothing but complain” and do not actively seek to improve the country. This public commentary follows the administration’s recent move to end Temporary Protected Status for Somali nationals, a safeguard that had been in place since 1991. The enforcement operation in Minnesota is set to focus on Somali immigrants with final deportation orders in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, with hundreds potentially being targeted. Earlier, Trump had vowed on social media to send Somalis “back to where they came from” and asserted that Minnesota is a “hub of fraudulent money laundering activity.”