Fact Check: Verification Challenges Surround Noem’s Claims About Minnesota Somalis

In a move that has sparked controversy and raised questions about factual accuracy, Tuesday’s Trump cabinet meeting featured strong criticisms of Minnesota’s Somali community and Governor Tim Walz, with claims that are difficult to verify through independent sources.

During the meeting, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem directed pointed remarks at Minnesota’s Somali population, claiming, “50% of them are fraudulent, which means that that wacko Governor Walz either is an idiot or did it on purpose… He brought people in there illegally who never should have been in this country.”

Noem later shared a video of her statements on social media platform X, writing: “We don’t complain about problems, we fix them. Under the leadership of President Trump, DHS is taking on the incessant immigration fraud in Minnesota that has robbed billions of dollars from U.S. taxpayers. We’re just getting started.”

However, investigation reveals no evidence supporting the claim that Governor Walz “brought people” to Minnesota illegally. Somali immigration to Minnesota dates back to 1979, with the largest influx occurring in the 1990s during Somalia’s civil war—well before Walz took office. Moreover, a spokesperson for the governor pointed out that “visa and immigration are solely the federal government’s responsibility.”

Immigration and visa matters fall under the jurisdiction of several federal agencies, including U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the State Department’s National Visa Center, and the Department of Homeland Security—the very department now headed by Noem.

Noem’s statements included allegations that Somali Minnesotans submitted “fraudulent visa applications, signed up for government programs, took hundreds of billions of dollars from the taxpayers.” She added that her department is “going to remove them and get our money back.” When asked for documentation supporting these claims about programs, visas, and the alleged “hundreds of billions of dollars” supposedly stolen, the Department of Homeland Security has not provided a response.

Earlier that same day, President Trump made his own disparaging comments about Minnesota’s Somali community, stating: “They contribute nothing. The welfare is like 88%. They contribute nothing. I don’t want them in our country, to be honest with you… Their country is no good for a reason. Your country stinks and we don’t want them in our country.”

This rhetoric comes after Trump’s recent directive to the Department of Homeland Security to reconsider temporary protected status for Somalia, a decision that could affect approximately 700 Somali nationals currently residing in the United States.

In response to these developments, Minnesota Democratic Congresswoman Betty McCollum sent a letter to Noem expressing “outrage at the Trump Administration’s deliberate targeting of the Somali community in Minnesota.” McCollum called the President’s comments “vile, abhorrent and below the dignity of the Oval Office.”

The congresswoman emphasized that “the vast majority of Minnesota’s Somali community are U.S. citizens or Legal Permanent Residents,” and questioned how the department would “ensure that American citizens are not wrongly targeted, harassed or criminalized by the Department of Homeland Security.” McCollum has requested answers to her inquiries by December 12.

The cabinet meeting controversy emerged just before Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began what sources described as a “surge operation” targeting Somali immigrants in the Twin Cities. Multiple sources confirmed to ABC News that plans for the operation were in place by Tuesday, with implementation beginning Wednesday.

Minnesota hosts one of the largest Somali diasporas in the United States, with community members contributing to various sectors of the state economy, from healthcare to small businesses. The community has also produced elected officials at various levels of government.

The situation highlights ongoing tensions surrounding immigration policy and rhetoric in the current political landscape, raising concerns about potential impacts on established immigrant communities across the country.