Over the course of Barack Obama’s presidency, roughly 54,000 Somali refugees found new homes in the United States, a far cry from the widely circulated but inaccurate claim that he relocated 70,000 Somalis to Minnesota. Contrary to some eyebrow-raising social media posts, this was not a cunning plan to manipulate future elections in favor of Ilhan Omar, the Somali-American Congresswoman representing Minnesota.
Around the time of the U.S. presidential election on November 5th, messages floating around Facebook declared, “Think the election’s rigged? Obama funnelled 70,000 Somalians to MN. Omar’s election? A setup! Impeach Ilhan Omar!” These messages tapped into a broader storyline that painted Democrats as promoters of refugee-friendly policies with the ulterior motive of securing more votes for their party down the line.
Ilhan Omar, who made history by becoming the first African-born member of Congress, arrived in the United States as a refugee in 1995. She has been an influential voice in Congress since 2019, noted not only for her Somali roots but also as one of the few Muslim women serving in the House of Representatives.
Taking a look at the actual numbers supplied by a State Department spokesperson and shared with Reuters, from January 2009 to January 2017, about 54,000 Somali refugees came to the U.S. through the existing refugee resettlement initiative. During the period from October 2009 to September 2017, records from the Refugee Processing Center, a project of the State Department, show that the U.S. welcomed 47,442 Somalis. Unfortunately, older records aren’t accessible online. From 2012 through 2017, the highest influx of Somali refugees into Minnesota was 5,524—significantly less than what’s been claimed. Notably, earlier state-specific data doesn’t exist in the database.
The latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau in 2023 bring to light that Minnesota boasts the largest concentration of people with Somali ancestry in the country, hitting a high of 63,192, followed by Ohio where 30,000 people trace their roots back to Somalia. This aligns with Minnesota’s prominent role as a hub of Somali culture and community in the United States.
**VERDICT**
In conclusion, the narrative alleging that Obama’s presidency aimed to skew elections by mass migration is unfounded. According to official figures, about 54,000 Somali refugees arrived in the U.S. during Obama’s tenure under a long-standing resettlement plan, with Minnesota welcoming a maximal tally of 5,524 between 2012 and 2017.
Edited by: Ali Musa
alimusa@axadletimes.com
Axadle international–Monitoring
