US President Donald Trump has said he does not want Somali immigrants in the US, telling reporters they should 'go back to where they came from' and 'their country is no good for a reason'.
I don't want them in our country, I'll be honest with you, he said during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Trump claimed that the US would 'go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country'.
His disparaging comments came as immigration authorities were reported to be planning an enforcement operation in Minnesota's large Somali community.
In response, the prime minister of Somalia said he would not give Trump's comments importance and suggested they should be ignored.
Officials in Minnesota have condemned the reported plan for an immigration enforcement operation, arguing it could unfairly sweep up American citizens who may appear to be from the East African nation.
Minneapolis and St Paul, which together are known as the Twin Cities, are home to one of the largest Somali communities in the world and the largest in the US.
The reported plan, and Trump's comments, represent an intensification of the president's recent attacks on Minnesota's Somali community, whose decades-long protected status in the US he recently pledged to revoke, and its Democratic politicians.
Trump has also recently expanded his months-long immigration crackdown in the wake of last week's shooting of two National Guard members in Washington DC, alleged to have been perpetrated by an Afghan who moved to the US. During his remarks, Trump stated: I don't want them in our country. I'll be honest with you, OK. Some will say, 'Oh, that's not politically correct.' I don't care. I don't want them in our country.
He continued his criticism of the country, mentioning: With Somalia, which is barely a country, you know, they have no, they have no anything. They just run around killing each other. There's no structure.
Trump then turned to criticising Representative Ilhan Omar, a Democrat and the first Somali-American to be elected to Congress, whom he has clashed with repeatedly. She responded on social media, saying, His obsession with me is creepy. I hope he gets the help he desperately needs.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been directed to target undocumented Somali immigrants in the Twin Cities, as part of a plan expected to affect hundreds of individuals. Local Minnesota leaders have denounced the operation and indicated that the community deserves protection, emphasizing that the majority of those residing there are American citizens.
Hearing about Trump's remarks, Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre indicated that they do not merit significant attention from his government, preferring to move forward with peace rather than engage in conflict.
This ongoing situation reflects deeper issues in immigration policy and community relations, as Minnesota’s Somali population manages growing tensions during a pivotal time in US immigration discourse.
