A Somali-American man in Minnesota, who has voted Republican for over two decades, has publicly condemned President Donald Trump's recent xenophobic rhetoric against Somali immigrants. This comes as federal authorities prepare to launch a targeted immigration enforcement operation in his state.
A Long-Time Republican's Painful Rebuke
Mohamed Ahmed, a Minnesota resident, told CNN's Whitney Wild that he has been a Republican for more than 25 years. His loyalty to the party, however, is now being severely tested. "I'm not going to stop being a Republican, and now we are being called 'garbage,'" Ahmed stated, reacting to the president's verbal attacks.
The president escalated his anti-immigrant language this week, focusing particularly on the Somali community. His tirades on Tuesday and Wednesday followed his administration's decision to halt all asylum processing after two National Guard soldiers were shot in Washington, D.C.
Trump's Inflammatory Comments and Community Impact
During an Oval Office press conference on Wednesday, Trump made sweeping, derogatory statements. "Look how bad their nation is. It's not even a nation. It's just people walking around killing each other," he said. He falsely claimed, "These Somalians have taken billions of dollars out of our country. They have destroyed Minnesota."
Although the suspect in the shooting that prompted the asylum pause was from Afghanistan, Trump directed his ire at Somali immigrants, asserting, "they contribute nothing. I don't want them in our country."
Minnesota is home to the largest Somali-American population in the United States, with approximately 84,000 residents in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, according to PBS News. The planned federal law enforcement surge has sparked significant fear within this community.
Targeted Rhetoric and a Personal Plea
Trump's comments included a pointed attack on Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, who came to the U.S. as a refugee from Somalia. "We can go one way or the other, and we're going to go the wrong way, if we keep taking in garbage into our country," the president said.
For Mohamed Ahmed, a father of five, this language was a deeply personal affront. "I got five children. My children are not garbage," he responded. His message to the president he once campaigned for was one of anguish and a call for reason. "We have hope in you. We see hope in you. Please differentiate between good, bad and evil."
Community leaders like Abdikadir Bashir, executive director of the Center for African Immigrants and Refugees Organization (CAIRO), confirm that the combination of harsh rhetoric and impending enforcement actions has created an atmosphere of anxiety and uncertainty among Somali immigrants in Minnesota.
