AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Recent remarks by President Donald Trump about Somali immigrants have sparked widespread outrage across the United States. At the conclusion of a cabinet meeting, Trump described Somali immigrants as “trash” and said they “come from hell.” He went on to say it was difficult to even call Somalia a country and claimed that Somali refugees in Minnesota “take billions of dollars from the state every year and contribute nothing.”
Trump, directly referencing Rep. Ilhan Omar, the Minnesota congresswoman of Somali descent, again targeted her and the broader Somali-American community with accusations and verbal attacks. “We do not want them in our country. Their nation smells foul… let them go back and fix their own country,” he said.
In response, Ilhan Omar wrote in an opinion piece in The New York Times that Trump’s rhetoric follows “the same pattern of racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia and division.” She warned that every time Trump attacks her, threats of violence against her, her family, and her staff surge dramatically. Omar said her greatest concern is the vulnerability of people who share her identities: “Black, Somali, hijabi and immigrant.”
Following these remarks, Trump called for tougher action against the Somali community in Minnesota, alleging that the group had committed “fraud” in government programs—an accusation raised after a New York Times report on several alleged violations. At the same time, the U.S. government has launched a sweeping immigration operation largely targeting undocumented Somali migrants in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that five individuals were arrested during the first week of the operation.
Meanwhile, religious leaders have begun organizing in response to the escalating tension. Khalid Omar, an interfaith activist, announced that a coalition of religious leaders plans to gather outside local mosques to show solidarity with Muslim immigrants. Youssef Abdallah, CEO of the Islamic Society of North America, warned, “These words are not just rhetoric; they become permission for harassment, discrimination, and violence.”
Christian and Jewish leaders also condemned Trump’s comments, emphasizing the inherent dignity of every individual. Paul Graham, a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, said, “Our faith teaches us that all people are created in the image of God.” The Minnesota Jewish Democrats organization stated, “No group of human beings is trash or a plague.”
Tensions continue to rise as Minnesota’s Somali community expresses growing alarm over the social and security consequences of Trump’s statements, and as religious leaders expand efforts to shield the community from potential threats.
**************
End/ 345E
