ICE agents descend on Minneapolis to crack down on Somali migrants

The Trump administration has opened a new front in its immigration crackdown, targeting illegal Somali immigrants in Minneapolis with a push of more than 100 ICE agents.

Immigration agents are targeting as many as 500 Somalis in the country illegally in the city, which is home to the US’ largest population from the war-torn East African nation, estimated at over 80,000, according to several reports.

The operation follows the stunning revelation that scammers in the Somali migrant community have engaged in massive fraud — costing Minnesota taxpayers some $1 billion — which happened right under the nose of Gov. Tim Walz, according to the state’s Department of Human Services.

President Trump slammed Somali illegal immigrants during White House Cabinet meeting Tuesday, saying “I don’t want them in our country,” adding that Somalia, which is one of the poorest countries on the planet, “stinks.”

He also hit out at Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar — who was born in Somalia — as “garbage.”
The Department of Homeland Security insisted the operation was not targeting specific communities with its latest raids, which as of Tuesday expanded to include a stepped-up presence of ICE agents in New Orleans.

“Every day, ICE enforces the laws of the nation across the country. What makes someone a target of ICE is not their race or ethnicity, but the fact that they are in the country illegally. We do not discuss future or potential operations,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement Wednesday as the operation reportedly got underway.