Trump calls Somali immigrants “garbage"
The Chronify
U.S. President Donald Trump has said that he does not want Somali immigrants in the United States. He told reporters that they should go back to the places they came from, adding that there is a reason their countries are not doing well.
During Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, Trump said, “I don’t want them in our country, I’m being honest with you.” He added, “If we keep taking in garbage into our country, then we are headed in the wrong direction.”
Trump’s insulting remarks about Somali immigrants came at a time when reports surfaced that immigration authorities are planning a raid targeting the large Somali community in the state of Minnesota.
Officials in Minnesota have strongly condemned the plan. They argue that such a raid could lead to many U.S. citizens from other countries being wrongfully arrested and harassed simply because they might be mistaken for immigrants from East Africa.
Minneapolis and St. Paul-known as the “Twin Cities”-are home to one of the largest Somali communities in the world and the largest in the United States.
Trump’s remarks
After a lengthy televised Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Trump said, “I don’t want them in our country. I’m being honest with you, alright? Some might say, oh, that’s not politically correct. I don’t care. I don’t want them in our country.”
Speaking about Somalia, Trump said, “You know, Somalia is a country that has nothing. They just wander around killing each other. There is no structure there.”
Trump then criticized Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar, the first Somali-American elected to Congress, with whom he has clashed repeatedly over various issues.
Trump said, “I see her all the time. She hates everyone. And I think she is an incompetent person.”
ICE raid planning
A person familiar with the plan told CBS News, the U.S. partner of the BBC, that the Trump administration has ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to conduct raids in the Twin Cities to detain undocumented Somali immigrants.
The official said that if the operation begins this week, hundreds of people could be targeted. The New York Times first reported news of the planned raids.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, declined to comment on the planned operation. However, the spokesperson rejected accusations that anyone would be targeted based on race or ethnicity.
Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin said ICE enforces the law across the country every day. She added that ICE targets individuals not because of their race or heritage, but because they are unlawfully present in the United States.
