President Donald Trump is facing mounting backlash after a series of inflammatory attacks on Somali immigrants, particularly those living in Minnesota, where one of the nation’s largest Somali American communities resides. Over the past week, the president has escalated his rhetoric, claiming that “hundreds of thousands of refugees from Somalia are completely taking over the once great State of Minnesota,” and deriding Somali immigrants in terms widely condemned as xenophobic.
During a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Trump singled out Rep. Ilhan Omar — a Minnesota Democrat and one of the first Somali Americans elected to Congress — calling her “garbage” and repeating his desire to deport her, despite the fact that she has been a U.S. citizen for 25 years. He went on to say Somalia “stinks” and that he did not want Somali immigrants in the United States.
Omar responded swiftly on social media, writing: “His obsession with me is creepy. I hope he gets the help he desperately needs.” Speaking to NewsNation, she said neither she nor the broader Somali community would be intimidated or scapegoated. “We are here to stay,” she emphasized.
Trump intensified his attacks again Wednesday, invoking unfounded allegations of widespread fraud in Minnesota’s social services system as justification for condemning Somali immigrants as “garbage” who have “destroyed our country.” He reiterated baseless suggestions that Omar herself should be removed from the United States.
In an interview with NPR’s Morning Edition, Omar called Trump’s comments “vile” and unsurprising. “He has trafficked in racism, in xenophobia, in bigotry, in Islamophobia for as long as he has held office,” she said. Minnesota community leaders echoed her condemnation, warning that such rhetoric endangers Somali Americans and fuels hostility toward immigrants.
While Trump’s inflammatory remarks have long been a hallmark of his political brand, the renewed focus on Minnesota’s Somali American population has ignited a fresh wave of criticism from civil rights advocates, lawmakers, and immigrant organizations. They argue that the president’s language dehumanizes a community that has contributed to Minnesota life for decades.
As one of Congress’s most visible immigrant voices, Omar has become a recurring target of Trump’s ire. This latest episode, she said, is simply more evidence of a president who uses fear and division as political tools. “We are not going anywhere,” Omar said. “And we will not be silenced.”
