- By Shivangi Sharma
- Wed, 03 Dec 2025 10:36 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
US President Donald Trump sparked outrage on Tuesday after launching an extended tirade against Somali immigrants during a lengthy, televised Cabinet meeting, accusing them of contributing “nothing” to the United States and insisting they should return to their country of origin.
Near the end of the meeting, Trump turned his attention to the Somali community, declaring, “They contribute nothing. I don’t want them in our country.” He added, “Their country is no good for a reason. Your country stinks, and we don’t want them in our country.”
His remarks came as reports emerged that immigration authorities are preparing a targeted enforcement operation in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, home to one of the largest Somali populations outside Somalia and the biggest in the United States. Local officials have criticised the plan, warning it risks sweeping up US citizens who may appear Somali based on ethnicity, not immigration status.
Renewed Attack On Ilhan Omar
Trump also reignited his long-running feud with Representative Ilhan Omar, the Somali-born Democrat who fled civil war as a child before eventually resettling in the US with her family.
“We keep taking in garbage into our country,” Trump said. “Ilhan Omar is garbage. She’s garbage. Her friends are garbage.” Leading into his criticism, Trump described Somalia as “barely a country,” claiming it lacked structure and stability. “They just run around killing each other,” he said. “There’s no structure.”
Omar struck back hard on social media, saying, “His obsession with me is creepy. I hope he gets the help he desperately needs.”
Planned ICE Operation In Minnesota
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been directed to target undocumented Somali immigrants in the Minneapolis-St–St Paul area, according to a source familiar with internal planning. The operation, which could start this week, might entail as many as hundreds of arrests, CBS News reports.
The New York Times first reported the details of the planned enforcement action. A spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, declined to discuss the specifics but denied that people would be targeted because of race or ethnicity. Minnesota officials quickly denounced Trump's rhetoric and the reported enforcement plan as dangerous and discriminatory.
His obsession with me is creepy. I hope he gets the help he desperately needs. https://t.co/pxOpAChHse
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) December 2, 2025
