Minneapolis city officials say there are official reports that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is conducting a large-scale crackdown on Somalis living in Minneapolis and St. Paul, after U.S. President Donald Trump has stepped up his rhetoric against the Somali community in recent days.
A report published by the New York Times said that more than 100 immigration agents are being deployed to the region to crack down on undocumented Somalis.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said that if the crackdown were to happen, the Somali community would be “fully” supported.
Frey, speaking to reporters, also strongly criticized Trump’s comments, which he said at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday that “Somalis are trash” and that he did not want “them to be in the country.” The mayor said that the Minneapolis police would not participate in any federal crackdown on immigration, calling Trump’s comments “anti-social.”
Minnesota is home to more than 80,000 Somalis, most of whom live in the Twin Cities region. Frey said the Somali community in the state has “an economic and cultural heritage” and has long been a part of American society.
He noted that most Somalis in the United States are legal citizens, and he fears that the crackdown could target those who are legally in the country.
Trump’s latest attacks
Last month, Trump announced that he would end temporary TPS protection for Somalis living in Minnesota, accusing them of “piracy” and posing a threat to the state, allegations that state officials have vehemently denied.
He repeated his hateful rhetoric at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, saying Somalis “have not contributed anything to the country” and have “destroyed their own country.”
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson defended the president, saying he “accurately identified the problems caused by Somali immigrants and called them a threat.”
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, the city’s first black mayor, called Trump’s comments racist and xenophobic, amid reports that immigration officers have assaulted legal Somali citizens.
