Minnesota Democrats gathered in St. Paul to slam President Donald Trump’s announcement that he was revoking Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalis in Minnesota.
TPS provides temporary legal status to individuals who are presently in the United States but would face safety concerns if they returned to their home country. Somalia was first designated for TPS in 1991. That designation has been continually renewed since then.
On Friday, President Trump announced that he was revoking TPS for Somalis in Minnesota, saying “Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of [Minnesota], and BILLIONS of Dollars are missing. Send them back to where they came from. It’s OVER!”
The announcement came after a City Journal story about Minnesota taxpayer dollars being fraudulently obtained by Somalis and allegedly going to fund overseas terrorists.
For years, Minnesota has endured a tidal wave of fraud largely perpetrated by members of the Somali community.
While many praised the Trump Administration’s announcement, TPS only applies to several hundred Somalis nationwide. The Somali population in Minnesota alone is estimated to be between 50,000 to 80,000.
Still, a collection of DFLers including Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, Sen. Zaynab Mohamed, Rep. Betty McCollum, State Rep. Mohamud Noor, Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, and Rep. Ilhan Omar publicly denounced the move on Monday.
During their press conference, DFLers said Trump’s action was cruel, the president was scapegoating the Somali community, and Trump was trying to distract from other issues. The group repeatedly sang the praises of immigration and the Somali community.
Additionally, the group said TPS for Somalia had already been extended into March of 2026 and the president cannot single-out Somalis in Minnesota for TPS revocation.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, herself a refugee from Somalia, was among the speakers on Monday. She called Trump “demented,” referred to the president’s supporters as “ignorant,” and said she stands with the Somalis in Minnesota who have TPS.
“Many of these people we are talking about have built lives,” said Omar. “They own homes, they own businesses, they are a vibrant part of our communities, and we want to make sure that their new home stays their forever home.”
Appearing to reference the rampant fraud, Omar said “In this country, we do not blame the lawlessness of an individual on a whole community.”
Omar, who rejected the allegations made in the City Journal story, also told the gathered crowd that “Somalis are not terrorizing this nation. We are helping it thrive. Somalis have always seen themselves as a fabric of this nation.”
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
