How Minnesota became a hub for Somali immigrants in the U.S.

How Minnesota became a hub for Somali immigrants in the U.S.

Joe Hernandez

December 03, 2025 / 3:56 pm

Minnesota boasts the largest population of Somalis in the U.S. — a community that's recently faced attacks from President Trump.

On Tuesday, Trump called Somali immigrants "garbage" and said he wanted to send them "back to where they came from." He continued on Wednesday, saying, "they've destroyed our country and all they do is complain, complain, complain."

The tirade came less than two weeks after Trump threatened to strip temporary legal protections from Somali migrants living in Minnesota.

Trump and other conservatives have also recently seized on criminal investigations and news reports of fraud in Minnesota's social services system — some of which was allegedly commit