"Immigration activists and lawyers say Somali residents have been pulled over, asked for their passports and detained by masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents this week after President Donald Trump called the state's Somali immigrants " garbage " that should go back Somalia. "I have been getting calls all day and night from people who should not be at risk," said Cameron Geibnik, a Minneapolis immigration attorney who described talking to naturalized citizens or permanent residents scared of being detained."
"Trump's rants against Minneapolis, which has the United States' largest population of people of Somali descent, about 80,000 residents, has put this community in an unusual position. Most Somali immigrants came to the country decades ago and have become U.S. citizens. During the last presidential election, Trump performed better in Minneapolis neighborhoods with large Somali populations than he did in 2020."
Karmel Mall, a Minneapolis hub for Somali residents, is unusually quiet with signs reading "No ICE enter without court order." Nearby businesses, including a Mexican bakery and taqueria, are closed. Immigration activists and lawyers report Somali residents being stopped, asked for passports, and detained by masked ICE agents after President Donald Trump called Somali immigrants "garbage" who should return to Somalia. Naturalized citizens and permanent residents report fear and numerous calls about potential detentions. Minneapolis hosts about 80,000 people of Somali descent, many long-settled and U.S. citizens. Local leaders and advocates say DHS appears to be intensifying efforts targeting undocumented immigrants, with at least 30 people reporting recent stops.
Read at The Washington Post
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