Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
President Donald Trump sparked controversy on Tuesday after describing Somali immigrants as “garbage” and expressing that he does not want them in the United States. The remarks, made at the conclusion of a Cabinet meeting, were directed both at the broader Somali community and specifically at Rep. Ilhan Omar, the Minnesota congresswoman of Somali descent.
“You know, our country’s at a tipping point. We could go bad. We’re at a tipping point,” Trump said. “We could go one way or the other, and we’re going to go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country.” He applied the same label to Omar, who responded on social media, calling the president’s attention to her “creepy” and adding, “I hope he gets the help he desperately needs.”
The comments mark a sharp departure from Trump’s outreach to Somali Americans during his 2024 campaign, when he courted the community in Minnesota, citing concerns over safety and security as reasons for potential support. At the time, prominent Somali American supporters, such as Salman Fiqy, described Trump’s rhetoric as a political strategy to rally his base rather than a personal attack on the community.
Trump’s latest rebuke comes amid a wider dispute with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, whom the former president called to resign following allegations of welfare fraud among Somali immigrants reported by The New York Times. The report claimed that over the past five years, “fraud took root in pockets of Minnesota’s Somali diaspora,” and critics argued that some cases persisted because state officials feared alienating the Somali community. Walz responded, stating that while he welcomes support in investigating crime, “pulling a PR stunt and indiscriminately targeting immigrants is not a real solution to a problem.”
Minneapolis, home to more than 80,000 Somali immigrants, has pushed back against Trump’s rhetoric. Mayor Jacob Frey warned that increased federal immigration activity could target the wrong individuals and violate the rights of U.S. citizens. City Council Member Jamal Osman criticized the administration for “othering” a population that is predominantly composed of naturalized citizens. “Our Somali American neighbors the vast majority of them U.S. citizens, deserve to feel safe in their own country,” he said.
Trump’s anti-immigration statements also coincided with heightened concerns over national security following the alleged shooting last week of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., by an Afghan national. Tom Homan, director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), confirmed there would be an “increase” in immigration enforcement in Minnesota but provided no specific timeline.
Most Somalis initially arrived in the United States as refugees fleeing civil war in the 1990s. According to the U.S. Census, over 260,000 people of Somali descent now live in the country, with approximately 73% naturalized as U.S. citizens.
Trump’s remarks have reignited debates over immigration, national security, and the treatment of immigrant communities in the United States, particularly those with deep-rooted ties to local constituencies in Minnesota.
