A sampling of Somali Minnesotans say they aren’t surprised by this fall’s escalating rhetoric singling out their community, yet still they constantly feel hurt and guarded in the face of widespread blame for the actions of a few.
President Donald Trump recently bashed the community in an Oct. 8 social media post calling on Minnesotans to “fight back” against Somali immigrants. The president’s harmful rhetoric is inciting violence, some Somali community members said.
“We feel like he’s opening doors for hate, and he’s giving people a green light to attack people, to harm people,” said Najib Hirsi, 40. “So it really opens up for a lot of people to act on it.”
The past few weeks have been a culmination of intense negative attention on the community. Along with a federal raid on U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home, there has been news coverage of three shootings involving what law enforcement officials are calling “Somali American gangs,” and a local Somali teenager was arrested in an alleged terror plot on the Mall of America.
“I feel bad when I see the social media,” said Abdi Mohamed, 34, who lives in Minneapolis’ Cedar-Riverside neighborhood. “We have good people and we have bad people. Five fingers are not the same. Every person is different.”
Most Somali Minnesotans are U.S. citizens who contribute to the economy and invest in their neighborhoods, they said. And they want those who commit crimes to be held accountable.
“I feel like that right now people view us as fraudsters – people that take advantage of others, which is not who we are. We don’t want to take advantage of anyone,” said Mohamed Jama of south Minneapolis. “We like to give to the community, and make it more prosperous.”
Somali elders and women and girls who wear hijabs are afraid to go outdoors, some Somali Minnesotans told Sahan Journal.
“We ran from a war-torn country. My mom brought us here for a better life,” said Jama, 31. “As a Somali right now, we’ve always got to look over our shoulder. We’ve always got to watch out for whoever is influencing to attack us. I’m afraid. My mom, she doesn’t even leave the house because of what’s been going on.”
They also highly suspect Monday’s federal raid on Omar’s home in Washington, D.C., is motivated by the upcoming election and the pioneering Somali congresswoman’s bid for a fifth term. Trump claimed Tuesday that Omar mistakenly reported a high net worth from “money that was stolen” from “fraudulent activities” in Minnesota.
“Ilhan Omar, I don’t believe she’s doing anything fraud-related and so [Trump] doing that, and then making comments about the Somali community, he’s just trying to get more voters to help his cause,” Jama said. “And that’s how he’s always been.”
Minnesota is home to one of the largest Somali communities outside Africa. Most came to the United States starting in the 1990s amid civil war as clan leaders and politicians fought for control of the country. Thousands fled to refugee camps and neighboring countries, according to the Minnesota Historical Society.
By the late 1990s, Minneapolis became a central hub where Somali Americans opened businesses, raised families and worked to preserve their culture.
Long a target of Trump’s political attacks, the president in December called Somali Americans “garbage,” and singled out Somalis in Minnesota during his 2026 State of the Union speech to talk about fraud scandals.
“I feel the President of the United States is attacking us. Then in my mind, I want to find out ‘Why?’” said Rukuya Abshir, who stopped to talk in Minneapolis’ Cedar-Riverside neighborhood.
Jama said parents in the community are talking more about youth violence with their children after local incidents, but said others should be mindful that those issues are not limited to the Somali community.
“The thing is, in every community there’s gang violence,” Jama said. “They’re such a miniscule part of the community … it shouldn’t have shun the whole Somali ethnicity.”
When he saw Trump’s posts about the community, Jama felt upset and thought of how the posts could affect every member of his family.
“We’re human beings,” Jama said. “We contribute to society, contribute to the economy and for him to basically treat us like we’re barbarians – it hurts. It hurts us.”
Sometimes when he goes to pray at the mosque, Mohamed said he has seen white community members line up to support the community.
“They come around mosques, and say, ‘We love Somalis,’ and, ‘We stand with Somalis,’” he told Sahan Journal. “I know them, and we appreciate them. But we still have fear of the Trump supporters.”
Some Somali Minnesotans told Sahan Journal that Trump’s recent attacks are not new, and they just have to keep their focus on their everyday lives. They also said the president’s words will not be forgotten in upcoming elections.
“The Somali community is close to 150,000 people in this state,” Hirsi said, “and most of them are hard-working people minding their own business.”
Omar was 8 years old when she came to the United States with her family as refugees, according to her congressional website. She spent four years in a refugee camp in Kenya before coming to the United States. Her family moved to Minnesota in 1997.
In her post addressing the raid, she wrote: “I’m ok. Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement. For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation. I will not be silenced.”
Omar has declined interview requests on the matter.
The raid was “part of ongoing federal criminal investigation,” but no further information was provided, according to a Department of Homeland Security statement.
Several Somali Minnesotans said they feel Trump is using the community as a scapegoat, and to distract voters from other issues, such as rising inflation and the war in Iran.
“We are a very strong community. We work. We have a lot of businesses. We are taxpayers too,” said Mohamed Ali, 43. “Every community has bad people and good people. He’s just choosing only one community, so he’s just picking us.”
