Somali TikTok Influencer Deported From U.S. Returns to Mogadishu Amid al-Shabab Threats

Somali influencer deported from U.S. returns to Mogadishu under threat, stoking migrant fears

MOGADISHU, Somalia — A Somali social media influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers has been deported from the United States after months in immigration detention, returning to Mogadishu amid renewed fears for his safety and mounting anxiety across Somali migrant communities in the American Midwest.

Mahad Mohamud, 36, widely known online as “Garyaqaan,” or “The Lawyer,” was removed from the U.S. last month after authorities rejected his asylum claim. Back in Somalia’s capital, he says he has received death threats from the militant group al-Shabab and is now living under heightened security, limiting his movements and staying in a guarded residence.

The threats began shortly after he arrived, Mahad told the BBC. He declined to share messages or describe security arrangements, citing safety concerns.

His case has ricocheted through Minneapolis and neighboring St. Paul, home to one of the largest Somali diasporas in the world. Videos circulating on social media in recent weeks have appeared to show immigration officers knocking on doors in neighborhoods known as Little Mogadishu, raising fears among undocumented migrants and asylum seekers already rattled by shifting U.S. enforcement and political rhetoric.

Last month, President Donald Trump said he would end temporary protections that prevent deportations to countries deemed unsafe. Earlier this month, he said he did not want Somali immigrants in the United States and urged them to “go back to where they came from,” citing ongoing insecurity in Somalia. The remarks landed amid a separate political storm in Minnesota over alleged fraud tied to a federal child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic, in which several individuals have been charged and some Somali immigrants were suspected of involvement. Advocates say the convergence has fueled stigma and fear, even among those with pending cases.

Somalia, which has lacked a fully functioning central government since the collapse of Siad Barre’s regime in 1991, remains volatile. While a federal government operates from Mogadishu, al-Shabab controls parts of the country and continues to stage deadly attacks, including in the capital. For deportees, human rights groups warn, return can carry acute security risks.

Mahad built an audience of roughly 500,000 on TikTok, blending political commentary with clan defense and vocal support for Somalia’s federal government. The persona brought attention and income — and also friction. In October, an account linked to a White House-affiliated rapid response network known as Rapid Response 47 accused him on X of criminal activity, including alleged involvement in the kidnapping of French nationals in Mogadishu. Mahad denied the allegations, saying he was not in Somalia at the time. He said the FBI questioned him and later released him without charge. No charges were filed.

By then, he had already been living a precarious existence in the U.S. Mahad entered from Mexico without legal documents after traveling through South America, was arrested at the border and detained for about a month, then released with a temporary work permit while his asylum case proceeded. He settled in Minneapolis, driving for Uber and making money through TikTok live broadcasts as he waited for a ruling.

He said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested him one morning as he was leaving for work after a social media rival provided authorities with his home address. He spent six months in immigration detention — first awaiting a decision on his claim, then awaiting removal after it was denied.

In the end, Mahad was deported alongside 38 others from Kenya, Ethiopia and Eritrea. He said the detainees were placed in restraining jackets and moved under guard through Costa Rica, Senegal and Kenya before arriving in Mogadishu. After months in custody, he said he had made peace with the outcome. “There is nothing more important than seeing my children again,” he said after reuniting with his three children for the first time in 10 years.

Still, he added, the risks in Somalia are real. He prefers he could have remained in the U.S. and now avoids public spaces. The heightened caution reflects his public profile and the polarized online debates that propelled it, but also a broader reality: returnees are often visible, sometimes politically outspoken, and vulnerable.

Mahad’s removal has become a touchstone in a community that has long been scrutinized and courted in equal measure. The Minneapolis–St. Paul region is home to an estimated 80,000 Somalis, a hub of remittances, small businesses and civic life. After the latest political statements and viral videos of apparent enforcement actions, uncertainty has spread. The BBC spoke with five young Somali men in Minnesota who said they stopped working and left their rented home to avoid encounters with immigration officers. One described going without food and remaining indoors to reduce the risk of detention.

Another Somali man, who asked not to be identified, said he spent 18 months in U.S. detention before being deported. He had borrowed about $20,000 to fund his journey north. “They sent me back, and everything I worked for is gone,” he said, adding that he is considering migrating again. “I don’t want to start my life over here.”

Those stories echo through the Somali diaspora beyond Minnesota as well, where many watch policy shifts closely and weigh the risks of travel, work and even appearing in public spaces. Advocates note that asylum seekers often spend years in limbo; a single denial can mean swift detention and removal, even to countries where safety is far from guaranteed. For public figures like Mahad, the stakes can be higher.

Mahad’s supporters say he carved out a rare platform for pro-government voices and legal-minded debate in Somali online spaces often defined by factionalism. Detractors accuse him of stoking clan loyalties and courting confrontation. In either case, the attention has followed him home. He says he has changed routines, curtailed broadcasts and assumed a lower profile while he assesses risks in Mogadishu.

What happens next will depend as much on the trajectory of U.S. immigration policy as on Somalia’s volatile security picture. For now, one man’s forced return has widened a familiar fissure: the gap between migrants’ hopes of protection and the hard calculus of enforcement.

– With files from the BBC Somali Service

By Ali Musa

Axadle Times international–Monitoring.