Federal crackdown targets Somali community in Minneapolis

Federal immigration operations in Minneapolis have put the city’s Somali community under intense scrutiny, with Somali-owned businesses around Karmel Mall reporting sharp declines in foot traffic and sales after recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol activity.

Residents described armed agents detaining neighbors in the street and surrounding businesses. The heightened enforcement followed a viral video that purported to show widespread fraud at Somali-run child care centers and a sprawling fraud investigation that prosecutors say involves millions — and possibly billions — in stolen state funds.

Of the 98 people charged so far, 85 are of Somali descent, according to the White House. President Trump and White House officials have amplified the focus on Somalis; a White House spokeswoman said, "President Trump is right," and a Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman said operations are aimed at identifying and removing criminals who are defrauding Americans.

Many Somali residents and leaders say the pressure feels like a direct targeting of their community. Somali Americans began arriving in significant numbers in the early 1990s as refugees; there are now about 260,000 people of Somali heritage in the U.S., roughly 42 percent of whom live in Minnesota.

Key Topics

Politics, Somali Community, Minneapolis, Karmel Mall, Ice, Border Patrol