Federal Authorities Plan Targeted Immigration Sweep of Somali Community in Minnesota

Federal authorities are preparing a targeted immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota that would primarily focus on Somali immigrants living unlawfully in the United States, according to a person familiar with the planning.

The operation, which could begin within days, is expected to concentrate on the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area and individuals with final orders of deportation. Immigration agents would conduct what the source described as a directed, high-priority sweep across the Twin Cities, though plans remain subject to change.

The enforcement action comes amid escalating rhetoric from President Donald Trump about Minnesota’s sizable Somali community. During a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Trump stated he did not want immigrants from the East African nation in the U.S., claiming “they contribute nothing” and are overly reliant on social services.

“I don’t want them in our country,” Trump said. “Their country is no good for a reason.”

Community Leaders Push Back Against Characterizations

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey strongly rejected the president’s depiction of Somali immigrants, arguing it “violates the moral fabric of what we stand by in this country as Americans.”

“They have started businesses and created jobs. They have added to the cultural fabric of what Minneapolis is,” Frey said at a press conference Tuesday.

The mayor pledged that Minneapolis police officers, including many of Somali descent, would not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement actions. “It’s not their job,” he stated, expressing concern about potential civil rights violations.

“Targeting Somali people means that due process will be violated, mistakes will be made, and let’s be clear, it means that American citizens will be detained for no other reason than the fact that they look like they are Somali,” Frey said. “That is not now and will never be a legitimate reason.”

Operation Details and Community Impact

According to the person familiar with the operation, hundreds of people could be targeted. As with previous immigration actions, so-called “incidental arrests” might occur, meaning undocumented individuals who aren’t specifically targeted could also be detained if encountered during the operation.

When asked about the planned enforcement, Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin declined to discuss “future or potential operations” but defended the agency’s approach.

“What makes someone a target of ICE is not their race or ethnicity, but the fact that they are in the country illegally,” McLaughlin said.

Minnesota’s Somali Community

Minnesota hosts the nation’s largest Somali community, with an estimated 84,000 residents in the Minneapolis area, according to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Somali immigrants began arriving in significant numbers during the 1990s, fleeing civil war and drawn by the state’s robust social services and refugee resettlement programs.

Nationwide, approximately 260,000 people of Somali descent live in the United States, with other significant populations in Ohio, Washington, and California. Community leaders note that the vast majority of Minnesota’s Somali population consists of U.S. citizens.

Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, estimates that about 95% of Somalis in Minnesota are U.S. citizens, with approximately half born in the United States.

“We believe this is political rhetoric and an attack against our community,” Hussein said, noting that his organization has heard of “less than a dozen” immigration arrests within the Somali community in recent days. He expressed concern that “additional ICE agents means additional pressure on the wider immigrant community.”

Escalating Political Tensions

Trump’s administration has intensified its focus on Somali immigrants following claims by the conservative publication City Journal that U.S. taxpayer dollars from defrauded government programs have been diverted to al-Shabab, an al-Qaida-affiliated militant group operating in Somalia.

Last month, Trump terminated Temporary Protected Status for Somali migrants in Minnesota, removing a legal safeguard against deportation. A congressional report from August indicated only about 705 Somalis nationwide were covered by this program.

Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz criticized the administration’s approach, stating that while anyone committing fraud should face consequences, “demonizing an entire population and lying to people about the safety and security of this state is beneath that.”

Minneapolis City Council member Jamal Osman, who is Somali American, vowed community solidarity in the face of potential enforcement actions. “Our community has lived through fear in the past,” he said. “And we are not going to let us divide that.”