'Go back,' Trump tells Somalis

ICE prepares operation in Minnesota targeting African immigrants

- By AAMER MADHANI

ST. PAUL Mayor Melvin Carter addresses a potential immigration operation.

(LEILA NAVIDI Minnesota Star Tribune)

President Trump on Tuesday said he did not want Somali immigrants in the U.S., saying residents of the war-ravaged eastern African country are too reliant on the U.S. social safety net and add little to the United States.

Trump's contemptuous description of the entire immigrant community is the latest example of his pointedly attacking the Somali diaspora in the United States. Somalis have been coming to Minnesota and other states, often as refugees, since the 1990s. The president made no distinction between citizens and noncitizens.

The president’s comment came days after his administration announced it is halting all asylum decisions after the shooting of two National Guard soldiers in Washington. The suspect in last week’s incident is originally from Afghanistan, but Trump has used the moment to raise questions about immigrants from other nations, including Somalia.

“They contribute nothing. I don't want them in our country,” Trump told reporters near the end of a lengthy Cabinet meeting. He added: “Their country is no good for a reason. Your country stinks and we don't want them in our country.”