WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday launched a forceful attack on Somali immigrants, saying they should be unwelcome in the United States and accusing Somali Americans of contributing “nothing” amid a sprawling fraud investigation in Minnesota tied to phantom social services.
Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, Mr. Trump described Somalia as a failed state and said Somali immigrants “just run around killing each other” and that “their country’s no good for a reason. Their country stinks, and we don’t want them in our country.”
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“We’re at a tipping point,” he added. “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.”
The remarks come as prosecutors in Minnesota investigate allegations that more than $1 billion in taxpayer funds was diverted to non-existent social services, with officials saying falsified billing was in large part carried out by groups tied to Somali Americans.
Mr. Trump also attacked Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., a Somali-born member of Congress who has been an outspoken critic of the president. “Ilhan Omar is garbage. Her friends are garbage,” he said, adding: “Let them go back to where they came from and fix it.”
Ms. Omar responded on X, writing, “His obsession with me is creepy. I hope he gets the help he desperately needs.”
Last week, the administration ended long-standing deportation protections for Somalis that had been in place since 1991, when Somalia descended into civil war. The move increases the pressure on Somali nationals and Somali Americans who rely on various immigration safeguards.
Separately, the administration announced a pause on all immigration applications — including green card and naturalization processing — filed by people from 19 non-European countries, citing national security and public safety concerns. The memorandum said applicants from those countries would undergo a “thorough re-review process, including a potential interview and, if necessary, a re-interview.”
The list includes Afghanistan, Somalia, Iran, Libya, Yemen, Sudan, Eritrea and several countries that were subject to partial travel restrictions earlier this year, officials said. The memo cited last week’s attack on National Guard members in Washington, in which an Afghan man has been arrested, as justification for heightened scrutiny.
Sharvari Dalal-Dheini, senior director of government relations for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said the group has received reports of canceled oath ceremonies, naturalization interviews and adjustment-of-status appointments for people from the countries named in the memorandum.
Minnesota officials urged caution in equating the alleged fraud with an entire community. Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, said Minnesota is a “generous” and “prosperous” state that attracts both newcomers and, occasionally, criminals who are prosecuted.
“But to demonize an entire community on the actions of a few, it’s lazy,” Mr. Walz said in an interview aired Sunday on NBC News.
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, the first Black mayor of the state capital and a city with a large Somali population, called the president’s comments “racist” and “xenophobic.” Citing the opening words of the Constitution, he said the debate over “who is included” in the American community is central to the nation’s history.
The president’s remarks are likely to intensify concerns among immigrant communities already alarmed by stepped-up enforcement policies and public rhetoric that critics say scapegoats minority groups for broader policy failures.
Federal prosecutors in Minnesota have charged multiple people in connection with alleged schemes that included false claims for pandemic-era aid, and investigations are ongoing.
There was no immediate response from the White House beyond the president’s remarks and the memorandum announcing the application pause.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
