White nationalist United States president Donald Trump is again blaming immigrants from “Third World” countries for the decline of “Western civilisation”.
Trump’s new targets are people from Somalia living in the US, whom he labels as “garbage” that should be removed. Trump especially despises people from Black Africa.
Trump also viciously attacked the Afghan community after a CIA-trained gunman attacked two white West Virginian National Guards in Washington, DC on November 26, killing one.
In response, Trump “paused” the processing of all immigrants from Afghanistan.
The Afghan-born shooter received political asylum in April because of his ties to the CIA. He is said to have been struggling with mental health issues.
Trump said he prefers people from Norway, Sweden and Denmark. (He apparently hasn’t pondered why few of those folks migrate to the US.)
Trump also issued a US$1 million Gold Card (which has his face on it) to attract millionaires from abroad to become permanent US residents with a fast track to citizenship. (Trump is okay with millionaires from the Arab world and Asia.)
Why Somalia?
Trump’s latest targets are Somali immigrants and their descendants (a majority now US citizens or legal residents).
He particularly despises Minnesota Congressperson Ilhan Omar, who came here decades ago as a child refugee and became a citizen.
Omar was first elected to the state legislature before becoming the first African-born Muslim woman elected to Congress.
Omar’s son was pulled over by ICE agents after making a stop at Target on December 13 and asked to provide proof of citizenship. Once he was able to produce his passport ID the agents let him go, she told a local radio station.
It was fortunate Omar’s son carried his passport, because ICE has refused to accept other forms of proof of citizenship. More Black and brown people are carrying proof of citizenship and legal residency with them.
In an Oval Office press conference on December 3 held to discuss the auto industry, Trump instead attacked Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who said he’s proud to have the largest Somali community in the country.
“I wouldn’t be proud to have the largest Somalian community ― look at their nation,” Trump snapped before going on a tirade. “Look how bad their nation is. It’s not even a nation. It’s just people walking around killing each other. These Somalians have taken billions of dollars out of our country. They have destroyed Minnesota.”
These false and racist claims are typical of much of what the Trump White House says about immigrants — except those who are white.
Trump added later, “You have to have people come in that are going to love our country, cherish our country, they want to kiss our country goodnight,” He went on, “They talk about our country; we want them to pray for our country. This is not the people living in Minnesota.”
Following Trump’s comments, Omar acknowledged his “obsession” with her in a social media post, saying she hopes he’ll “get the help he needs”.
Trump has previously called Haiti and other countries with majority Black and brown populations “shithole” countries.
Community speaks out
ICE descended on Minneapolis and St Paul in an operation focused on apprehending undocumented Somali immigrants in the region.
Local leaders of the Somali community denounced the operation and warned that immigration agents were racially profiling people regardless of their immigration status.
“They’re not just targeting so-called undocumented immigrants. They target all Somalis. Somali citizens have been stopped on the street, asked to provide documentation,” Minneapolis City Council Member Jamal Osman told CNN.
“Ninety-five percent of the Somali residents in Minnesota are US citizens ... So, there’s a small number that are looking for asylum that are awaiting their asylum court date. And those folks are also in danger.”
In the US and Canada, where there are large Somali populations, community members say this has sparked fear, anger and renewed concerns about safety and discrimination.
Ahmed Abdulkadir, 50, a community advocate in Edmonton, told CBC News that Trump's racist messaging is alarming and he worries that law-abiding immigrants and citizens are at risk.
“I’m worried somebody might see the news and assume [Somalis] are bad people … it could have profound consequences.”
Somalis have been fleeing the Horn of Africa for decades, since the fall of dictator Siad Barre led to clashes between warlords and a wider civil war. Others fled following the rise of the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab extremist group in the mid-2000s, and some have arrived through government sponsored refugee programs.
An estimated 260,000 people of Somali descent were living in the US in 2024, according to the Census Bureau’s annual American Community Survey. The largest population is in the Minneapolis-St Paul area, home to about 84,000 Somali residents, mostly US citizens.
In Minnesota, community advocate and journalist Awil Shire Wariye said women and girls wearing the hijab reported being chased on the streets.
“This situation has reached a point where people feel insecure and live in fear, which does not reflect the values of society and human rights” that the US prides itself on, he told CBC News.
Senator Zaynab Mohamed, 28, the first Muslim woman elected to the state senate, said Trump is trying to divide the country.
“He’s spewing things that are absolutely false and using them as a base to dehumanise a community that's built Minnesota's economy,” she said.
Civil war and migration
The Somali Civil War, which escalated in the late 1980s and continued into the 1990s, is marked by significant conflict and humanitarian crises.
The roots of the conflict trace back to political repression and clan rivalries during Barre’s dictatorship (1969–91). His regime faced increasing opposition from various clan-based groups, leading to armed resistance.
The Somali National Movement launched an insurgency in the north, in 1988, targeting Barre's government.
Barre was overthrown in 1991, leading to a power vacuum and the fragmentation of the country into rival factions.
The United Nations intervened with humanitarian aid amid widespread famine and violence, in 1992.
The war resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths. Millions were displaced, leading to a refugee crisis in neighbouring countries.
The civil war led to the rise of warlords and further violence, complicating peace efforts.
Clashes between various factions continued throughout the 1990s, with no stable government established.
International response
Multiple attempts at peace negotiations occurred, but often failed due to ongoing violence and a lack of cooperation among factions.
The US and other nations engaged in military operations, notably the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, which highlighted the challenges of intervention.
The conflict has had lasting effects, contributing to ongoing instability and challenges in governance.
While Trump praises white Afrikaner immigrants from South Africa, white European immigrants are also being arrested by ICE. According to several sources, there are at least one million white immigrants without legal documentation in the US.
The more this is understood, the more white people who see immigration as issues of Black and brown people may unite with Black and brown communities to fight back.