Fear in the Twin Cities: Somali Community Braces as ICE Targets Minneapolis–St. Paul

Daily life in Minneapolis’s Somali markets — men getting haircuts, women browsing colorful garments, and customers sampling fried sambusas and rice — appeared unchanged on the surface. Yet a quiet anxiety ran through these community hubs as residents began carrying passports and immigration documents more visibly, worried about a new federal operation aimed at undocumented Somali immigrants in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Scenes from the markets

At Karmel Mall, a normally bustling indoor complex, a bakery worker who gave only his first name, Fawzi, described markedly lighter foot traffic. "I feel scared," he said. "Imagine you’re just sitting in your car and then someone walks up and is like, ‘Yo, you gotta come with me.’" The mall mixes visa and shipping offices with henna salons, boutiques selling traditional Somali clothing, prayer mats and gold jewelry.

Two miles away, at 24 Somali Mall, Mayor Jacob Frey visited to reassure residents and show support. A woman in line approached him and held up her green card, saying she carried it because she was frightened despite living in Minneapolis for 25 years.

Enforcement activity and local reaction

Observers reported vehicles with Virginia plates and agents wearing vests labeled "ERO" (Enforcement and Removal Operations) conducting street stops. One man who identified himself as a U.S. citizen from Buffalo said agents questioned him, grabbed his hand and asked for identification before releasing him — an encounter he found unnecessarily aggressive.

City officials emphasize that of more than 80,000 people of Somali descent in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area, the vast majority are U.S. citizens or legal residents. Only a few hundred currently hold Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a designation the federal government has signaled it may end.

Local protections and political context

To limit local use of city property for federal staging, Mayor Frey signed an executive order banning federal, state and local law enforcement from using city-owned parking lots, ramps, garages or vacant lots to stage immigration enforcement operations. The order also directs city staff to provide a signage template businesses can post to mark property as off-limits for enforcement staging.

Community leaders expressed anger and hurt over inflammatory presidential rhetoric that singled out Somalis. Abdul Abdullahi, who runs an employment office at 24 Somali Mall, called such language "shameful" and warned it fosters division.

Data, DHS claims and community concerns

Department of Homeland Security officials have pointed to agency analyses alleging immigration fraud — particularly marriage-related fraud — among some Somali residents in Minneapolis and elsewhere as part of the rationale for enforcement activity. Census figures show nearly 58% of Somalis in Minnesota were born in the U.S.; among the foreign-born, roughly 87% are naturalized citizens.

Somali nationals were first granted TPS in 1991 after the collapse of the central government, and the designation has been renewed over the years because of insecurity and armed conflict that make return unsafe for many. Some local residents point to a recent multi-million-dollar pandemic-related fraud case in Minnesota as evidence of criminal activity by a small number of people, while others emphasize that collective punishment is unjust.

Voices from the community

Reactions within the Somali community vary. Some residents say they supported prior policies of the current administration for economic reasons, while many more expressed fear that aggressive rhetoric and enforcement will unfairly stigmatize and intimidate long-standing members of the community.

"There’s a few bad apples that committed crimes and broke the law, but you can’t punish an entire community," said Kamal Ali, who came to the U.S. as a child after living in a Somali refugee camp and now runs a family business. Mayor Frey echoed that sentiment: "If you stole food from children and money that should have gone toward housing, you should go to jail. You do not hold an entire community accountable for the actions of fraudsters."

"She’s an American citizen. She’s been here for 25 years, in Minneapolis," Mayor Frey said after a resident showed him her green card during his visit.

As enforcement activity and political debate continue, many Somali residents say they will keep carrying documentation and taking precautions when they go out in public, while community leaders and city officials work to limit local cooperation with federal staging and to reassure residents of their rights.