U.S. President Donald Trump referred to Somali immigrants as “garbage” and said he does not want them “in our country” as federal authorities prepare a targeted immigration enforcement operation focused on Somali communities in Minnesota.
Speaking during a cabinet meeting, Trump warned that the United States would “go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country,” adding: “I don’t want them in our country, I’ll be honest with you… Somebody will say, ‘Oh, that’s not politically correct.’ I don’t care.” Trump also described Somalia as “barely a country,” claiming, “they just run around killing each other. There’s no structure.”
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he does not want Somali migrants in the United States, adding that the country will head in the wrong direction if “we keep taking in garbage.”
“They contribute nothing,” Trump said during a meeting of his Cabinet. “I don’t want them in… pic.twitter.com/5jeQiiLI2D
— PBS News (@NewsHour) December 2, 2025
Trump’s remarks come as Immigration and Customs Enforcement is finalizing a large-scale operation in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area that is expected to target Somali immigrants with final deportation orders, according to The Associated Press. Hundreds of people are expected to be detained, with additional “incidental arrests” possible of other undocumented immigrants encountered during the sweeps.
Minnesota is home to the largest Somali diaspora in the United States, with census data indicating roughly 84,000 people of Somali descent in the Minneapolis area.
Local officials have warned that a broad sweep risks detaining American citizens and lawfully present immigrants who “look like they are Somali.” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the planned operation “means due process will be violated,” adding that targeting Somalis “is not now and will never be a legitimate reason” for enforcement, as ANEWZ reports.
Trump has a long record of criticizing Somali migration, previously claiming Somalis brought “disaster” to Minnesota and including Somalia in his administration’s travel ban on several Muslim-majority countries. He has recently moved to end Temporary Protected Status for some Somali residents and has tied the enforcement push to concerns about fraud and security, despite TPS covering only a small number of people nationwide.
During the same cabinet appearance, Trump again singled out Representative Ilhan Omar, a Somali-American Democrat from Minnesota, calling her an “incompetent person” who “hates everybody.” Omar responded on social media that “his obsession with me is creepy” and said she hopes the president “gets the help he desperately needs:”
Originally published on Latin Times
