Donald Trump has declared his intention to terminate deportation protections for Somali immigrants residing in Minnesota.
In a fiery post on Truth Social, the former president alleged that the state is being overwhelmed by ‘Somali gangs causing chaos’.
Trump also criticized Governor Mike Waltz, who is the running mate of Kamala Harris in the upcoming 2024 election, accusing him of allowing Minnesota to become ‘a center for fraudulent money laundering schemes’.
He claimed, ‘BILLIONS of Dollars are missing,’ during his online outburst.
Wrapping up his message, Trump stated, ‘Send them back to where they came from. It’s OVER! President DJT.’
Trump has announced plans to revoke the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somali nationals in Minnesota. This federal program, established in the 1990s, permits individuals from conflict-ridden or dangerous regions to reside and work legally in the United States.
Somalia has been locked in a devastating civil war since 1991, and the turmoil has triggered several bouts of intense fighting among Somali militias and famine.
According to Congress.gov data, there are 705 Somali immigrants in the entire nation approved for TPS, and Somali’s TPS designation does not expire until March 17, 2026.
Minnesota has the largest Somali population in the United States at an estimated 86,000 people, and the influx of migrants from the African nation has dramatically influenced the state’s politics – including re-elected Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey speaking in Somali during his victory speech this month.
Donald Trump says he is ending deportation protections for Somali immigrants in Minnesota
The president wrote on his Truth Social platform that the Blue state was overran by ‘Somali gangs terrorizing people’, and he would be ending the Temporary Protected Status (TPS Program) for Somalis in Minnesota
Trump did not offer details of the alleged fraud in Minnesota, but it comes after the City Journal reported that millions of dollars may have been stolen from Minnesota welfare schemes and funneled to Somalia-based terror group al-Shabab.
Trump has also moved to remove TPS protections for a number of other nations since he retook the White House this year, including Venezuela, Afghanistan, Syria, and South Sudan.
Trump’s post announcing that he would end TPS for Somali migrants in Minnesota divided opinions, as Democrats raged against the president’s move.
Waltz took to X to condemn the action, writing: ‘It’s not surprising that the President has chosen to broadly target an entire community.
‘This is what he does to change the subject.’
Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, who has frequently clashed with Trump and was told by the president to ‘go back’ to Somalia just weeks ago, also slammed the removal of TPS protections.
In response to a post citing Trump’s announcement that told her to ‘go back where you came from’, Omar wrote: ‘I am a citizen and so are majority of Somalis in America.
‘Good luck celebrating a policy change that really doesn’t have much impact on the Somalis you love to hate. We are here to stay.’
Somalia has been locked in a devastating civil war since 1991, and the turmoil has triggered several bouts of intense fighting among Somali militias (fighting pictured in 2013) and famine
Trump called out Minnesota Governor Mike Waltz, the running mate of his 2024 opponent Kamala Harris , for allowing his state to become ‘a hub of fraudulent money laundering activity’
Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, a frequent Trump critic, slated the move and declared: ‘We are here to stay’
But while Democrats fumed over Trump’s announcement, Republican Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth said she was ‘glad’ to see the White House look into Minnesota’s ‘fraud problem.’
‘The unfortunate reality is that far too many individuals who were welcomed into this country have abused the trust and support that was extended to them, and Minnesota taxpayers have suffered billions of dollars in consequences as a result,’ she told CBS News.
Jaylani Hussein, president of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, added to CBS that Trump’s announcement was ‘misguided.’
‘This is not just a bureaucratic change; it is a political attack on the Somali and Muslim community driven by Islamophobic and hateful rhetoric,’ he said.
‘(We are) deeply disappointed that the administration has chosen to end the Somali TPS program in Minnesota, a legal lifeline for families who have built their lives here for decades.
‘We strongly urge President Trump to reverse this misguided decision.’
