Trump Immigration Crackdown Sparks 10x Surge in Somali Deportations in Minnesota
Minnesota sees drastic rise in Somali deportation orders under Trump’s immigration crackdown.
2 min read
President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown has led to a significant increase in deportation orders for Somali nationals in Minnesota. According to federal immigration court data analyzed by the Minnesota Star Tribune, over 500 Somalis living in Minnesota have been ordered deported in 2026. This marks a nearly tenfold increase compared to the previous year.
Additionally, more than a thousand Somali asylum seekers have received deportation orders since February as part of the Trump administration’s effort to expedite immigration cases that had previously been delayed for years. The administration terminated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalia in January, ending a program that shielded eligible Somali nationals from deportation, regardless of their legal status.
. @POTUS : “We halted all refugee admissions from Somalia — a beautiful place — and other dangerous places. They can’t come in — we don’t want Somalia here! You know, they have a 98% unemployment rate, but they’re very good at ripping us off.” 🎯 https://t.co/mgmLY0nnaT pic.twitter.com/p6nLW5fr0S
In February, the administration also created an expedited immigration court docket for Somali asylum cases, allowing judges to resolve matters that had been scheduled far into the future. Federal officials argue that this accelerated process benefits legitimate asylum seekers while ensuring unsuccessful applicants are removed promptly.
Somalis say the Somali mall in Minneapolis is practically empty following the ICE raids.
The changes come as immigration courts remain overwhelmed by millions of unresolved cases. Some Somali nationals with final removal orders have already been deported, while others have been transferred into federal detention. ICE recently transported a group of eight detainees through Guantánamo Bay before their removal to Africa. The agency stated that members of the group had criminal histories involving aggravated assault, weapons offenses, robbery, larceny, obstruction, drug offenses, and DUI.
The Trump administration has also expanded the use of third-country deportations, allowing authorities to send migrants to cooperating nations when returning them to their countries of origin is not possible. ICE stated that third-country agreements are helping close a loophole in the immigration system that has been abused with false claims.
The increase in deportation orders follows Operation Metro Surge, the Trump administration’s major immigration enforcement crackdown in Minnesota last winter in response to reports of massive welfare fraud within the Somali population.
Source: The Gateway Pundit
