Overview
- At a Cabinet meeting, President Trump labeled Somali immigrants "garbage," said "their country stinks," and declared "we don’t want them in our country," drawing visible approval from senior officials.
- Minneapolis–St. Paul leaders and advocates reported additional federal agents and discreet ICE actions in Somali neighborhoods, with videos showing questioning and arrests and at least one Somali U.S. citizen detained, according to local accounts.
- USCIS announced an indefinite suspension of Afghan-related immigration requests and has paused decisions on cases from a broader list of countries, with reporting also noting a halt to asylum decisions.
- Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called the president’s comments "unprecedented," while clergy from multiple faiths gathered at a south Minneapolis mosque to denounce the rhetoric and to support Somali neighbors.
- The White House defended the president’s statements and enforcement posture by citing fraud investigations tied to Minnesota cases, as Trump’s declared plan to end TPS for Somalis remains unimplemented under the required DHS process.