The feud between President Trump and Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar intensified this week after Trump launched into a blistering attack, calling the congresswoman “garbage” and insisting that she and her allies “don’t belong in our country.” Omar, who arrived in the United States as a refugee, responded swiftly, saying the president’s fixation on her was “creepy” and urging him to seek the help he “desperately needs.”

While the public back-and-forth played out online and on cable news, local leaders in the Twin Cities were grappling with the administration’s planned surge of ICE agents into the region. Mayors Melvin Carter of St. Paul and Jacob Frey of Minneapolis stood together to send a clear message: their cities will not assist in federal immigration sweeps, and they will not turn local police into immigration enforcers.

Frey warned that singling out Somali immigrants would violate due process, a concern echoed by Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara. The chief repeated what he has emphasized before: Minneapolis officers do not cooperate with ICE, do not ask about immigration status, and will not change their approach because of shifting federal politics. Their duty, he said, is to protect residents, not to carry out immigration raids.

Carter called the crackdown “un-American,” arguing that the Twin Cities must stand firm for immigrant and refugee families who have made Minnesota their home. O’Hara added that officers will receive additional guidance this week to reaffirm the department’s longstanding policies, noting that police are trained to stabilize tense situations and safeguard First Amendment rights—not escalate fear in vulnerable communities.

In Minneapolis’ bustling Somali business district, the tension was palpable but life moved forward. Residents said Trump’s rhetoric has painted a target on Somali Minnesotans, leaving many frustrated but not intimidated. Some expressed exhaustion at being singled out again. Others said they refuse to be rattled.

“I was only three years old when I came,” one young woman said. “This is my home and this has got to stop.”

Another resident put it bluntly: “We’re part of this country. We don’t care what the people say.”

As the administration moves ahead with its immigration plans and Minnesota leaders draw lines of their own, the clash over power, belonging, and community safety is coming into sharp focus once again.