A Somali community leader in Minnesota demanded reparations and eviction protections, accusing federal immigration enforcement of inflicting economic harm as a large-scale ICE operation in the Twin Cities scales back.
At a Feb. 20 news conference in Minneapolis, Zahra Abdalla, president of the Somaliweyn Relief Agency and a self-described community organizer and small business owner, said the Somali community has suffered what she called “severe economic costs” as a result of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity.
Abdalla said the governor and state legislators must “repair the damage.”
She specifically called on the government to assist small business owners who make less than “200,000 and above,” saying, “We don’t make that much a month. We have been suffering since the crisis of ICE.”
This appeared to be a reference to Gov. Tim Walz’s proposal to provide forgivable loans to businesses that make between $200,000 and $4 million annually and can demonstrate “substantial revenue loss during specified dates tied to the surge.”
Abdalla also called for eviction protections to be implemented.
“We also demand an immediate help to evictions so families are not pushed to homelessness during the crisis. Our community deserves accountability. Our community deserves safety,” Abdalla said.
Abdalla praised whistle-blowers who, she said, alerted members of the community when ICE agents were nearby.
She also thanked her “Somali brothers and sisters,” calling them “the bravest people I know,” while describing the enforcement effort as a shared community trauma.
Abdalla closed her remarks with a chant that drew applause from attendees, calling for ICE to leave the community.
“ICE out, families in. ICE out, small business in. ICE out, justice in,” she chanted.
The press conference was livestreamed by Somali TV, with a caption of “Somali community demands ‘justice and real relief’ after ICE operations.” People in attendance at the press conference were holding signs that said “real relief, 200M now,” and “evictions are violence.”
Democrats also demand federal reimbursement, Vance responds
The Somali community’s calls for government aid and eviction relief come amid broader Democratic demands for federal payouts tied to Operation Metro Surge.
Gov. Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have both demanded the Trump administration reimburse Minnesota for an estimated $203 million in costs they claim were incurred during the ICE operation.
“The federal government needs to pay for what they broke here,” said Walz. “There’s going to be accountability on the things that happened, but one of the things is the incredible and immense costs that were borne by the people of this state. The federal government needs to be responsible. You don’t get to break things and then just leave without doing something about it. So, we’re going to be asking the federal delegation to be investing and doing the things necessary.”
Mayor Frey echoed Walz, alleging the enforcement operation had a severe economic impact on ethnic neighborhood businesses.
“50% of these businesses on these cultural corridors were closed,” Frey told CNN.
The reimbursement push from Walz and Frey comes as Minnesota has lost at least $9 billion to fraud across its social services programs and remains under federal investigation for systemic failures tied to public assistance oversight.
Vice President JD Vance rejected the reimbursement demands from Walz and Frey when asked about them.
“On behalf of the American people, I want reparations from them for allowing Somali fraudsters to steal billions from the American taxpayer that live in Minnesota,” Vance said.
🚨 HOLY CRAP! VP JD Vance just HIT BACK HARD at Democrats demanding "reparations" for President Trump's tariffs
"On behalf of the American people, I want reparations from THEM for allowing Somali fraudsters to steal BILLIONS from the American taxpayer!"
🫳🏻🎤 pic.twitter.com/ElKHEiImaG
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) February 22, 2026
Report cites high welfare use in Somali community
According to a report from the Center for Immigration Studies, more than half of children in Somali immigrant households in Minnesota — 52% — live in poverty, compared with 8% of children in native-born households.
One in eight children living in poverty statewide resides in a Somali immigrant home, the report says.
The report also found that 54% of Somali-headed households receive food stamps and 73% have at least one household member enrolled in Medicaid.
Nearly nine in 10 Somali households with children — 89% — receive some form of government welfare assistance.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
