Somali-Americans in Minnesota have described their heightened fear after US President Donald Trump intensified his criticism of the community this week.
Community leaders told the BBC the “apprehension is palpable” following Trump’s remarks, in which he said he did not want Somalis in the US and the country would “go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage”.
“When you’re being targeted by the president of the United States, it’s not really a good feeling,” said Aj Awed, executive director of the Cedar-Riverside Community Council, which represents a town known as Little Mogadishu for its large Somali population.
Concern has also intensified because of reports that officials have begun an enforcement operation in Minnesota targeting undocumented immigrants.
Mr Awed said the council would discuss the risks of holding an annual event scheduled for next week in-person because of the operation.
“The people that are getting caught up in this are people who don’t speak that great of English, but who have been citizens for decades,” he said. “Just because you have an accent does not make you less American.”
Trump made disparaging comments criticising the Somali community at the White House on Tuesday. “I don’t want them in our country, I’ll be honest with you… their country is no good for a reason,”he said.
Mr Awed said the comments were “dangerous”, adding it was “not becoming of a president to be just attacking other Americans”.
He also expressed concerns of violence that could follow.
“When the president puts a bull’s eye on the immigrant community here”, that could encourage others to become “more radicalised”, he said.
President Trump’s comments came after he was questioned about large-scale fraud in Minnesota’s social assistance programme.
Dozens of people have been charged over a scheme that federal prosecutors say involved a charity fraudulently billing the Minnesota government for meals for children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Several Somali immigrants were implicated in that alleged scheme, which ultimately cost the state tens of millions of dollars, according to Kayseh Magan, a former investigator in Minnesota’s attorney general’s office.
While those accused of involvement represent a small fraction of Minnesota’s large Somali population, Trump has repeatedly criticised the community, writing in a post last month that the state has become a “hub of fraudulent money laundering activity”.
The House Oversight Committee said on Wednesday it was opening an investigation into Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s handling of the allegations.
‘Anyone who looks like me is scared’
Jamal Osman, a member of the Minneapolis City Council, moved to the US when he was 14 and is a naturalised citizen.
“Anyone who looks like me [is] scared right now,” he told CBS News.
Of the fraud allegations that Trump has repeatedly referenced in his criticism of the Somali community, Osman said: “My community is upset. Yes, people commit crimes, but an entire community should not be blamed based on what some individuals did.”
The Trump administration has ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) – a programme for immigrants from countries in crisis – for Somali residents living in Minnesota.
It said its enforcement operation would target those who have been issued final deportation orders. That operation began on Wednesday, according to the BBC’s US partner, CBS News.
“ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is already here,” said Kowsar Mohamed, who lives in south Minneapolis. The city is home to more than 80,000 people of Somali descent.
“We’re seeing boots on the ground activity where folks are just being plucked off the streets and being asked about their residency status. That’s not a data-informed approach,” she said.
“Most folks have the identification necessary, so the fear is not around proof. The fear is around mistakes happening.”
There have been numerous reports of masked federal officers detaining US citizens and other lawful residents – over 170 instances, according to a ProPublica investigation in October.
Social media videos filled with images of ICE agents smashing suspects’ car windows and throwing them to the ground during detainments add to immigrants’ fears, whether undocumented or not.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, denied that any people would be targeted based on race.
“Every day, ICE enforces the laws of the nation across the country,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “What makes someone a target of ICE is not their race or ethnicity, but the fact that they are in the country illegally.”
Local community organisations had been anticipating increased immigration enforcement, but after Trump’s comments they ramped up preparations, Ms Mohamed said.
One organisation, Monarca, has scheduled “legal observer training” in Minneapolis to educate people on their rights when witnessing federal immigration activity.
Other ways the community is bracing itself, Ms Mohamed said, is by having emergency contacts ready-to-go in case of ICE encounters, and private messaging groups where people share photos of unmarked cars and masked agents.
“Everyone is just going to be in the space of caution,” she said.
“Is there fear? Absolutely. But no one is tucking behind their tail.”
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