MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Federal authorities are preparing a targeted immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota that would primarily focus on Somali immigrants living unlawfully in the United States, a move that comes as President Donald Trump has escalated rhetoric about the states Somali community, according to a person familiar with the planning.
The operation could begin in the coming days and is expected to zero in on people in the MinneapolisCSt. Paul area who have final orders of deportation, the person said. Teams of immigration agents would spread across the Twin Cities in what the person described as a directed, high-priority sweep, though the plans remain fluid and subject to change.
The prospect of an immigration operation centered on Somali migrants is likely to deepen tensions in Minnesota as Trump has become increasingly focused on people of Somalian descent living in the U.S., saying recently that they have caused a lot of trouble, rhetoric that community leaders say has inflamed tensions and revived fears of profiling.
Minnesota has the nations largest Somali community . Many fled the long civil war in their east African country and were drawn to the states welcoming social programs.
Hundreds of people are expected to be targeted in the operation, the person said. As with previous immigration operations, so-called incidental arrests are possible, meaning people who arent targeted but lack legal status could also be detained if encountered during the sweep, the person said.
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations that have not been publicly disclosed. The operation was first reported by The New York Times.
Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the agency would not discuss future or potential operations.
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, McLaughlin said.
Trump and other officials in his administration have used increasingly harsh language in recent days against Somalis living in the U.S., after a conservative news outlet, City Journal, claimed that taxpayer dollars from defrauded government programs have flowed to the Somali group al-Shabab.
Last month, Trump said he was terminating Temporary Protected Status for Somali migrants living in Minnesota, a legal safeguard against deportation for immigrants from certain countries. A report produced for Congress in August put the number of Somalis covered by the program at just 705 nationwide.
Responding to news reports about the potential enforcement activities, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said in a post on X, We welcome support in investigating and prosecuting crime. But pulling a PR stunt and indiscriminately targeting immigrants is not a real solution to a problem.
Trump has claimed immigrants from Somalia were completely taking over the once great State of Minnesota and has demeaned Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee last year.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a social media post Monday that his agency was investigating allegations that under the feckless mismanagement of the Biden Administration and Governor Tim Walz, hardworking Minnesotans tax dollars may have been diverted to the terrorist organization Al-Shabaab.
Jaylani Hussein, a Somali American who is executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said his group has heard of less than a dozen immigration arrests within the local Somali community in recent days.
But Hussein said around 95% of Somalis in Minnesota are U.S. citizens, so the numbers of those at earlier stages of the immigration process are a pretty small proportion of the community. He said they estimate that 50% of the community was born in the U.S.
We believe this is political rhetoric and an attack against our community, Hussein said. But additional ICE agents means additional pressure on the wider immigrant community, he said, referring to Hispanics and other Africans.
Hussein said the reported crackdown plan is yet another example of the Trump administration demonizing the Muslim community. And he said its not new that when somebody in the community commits a crime, the entire community will get accused. He said thats been true of other ethnic groups through American history.
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Associated Press journalist Rebecca Santana in Washington contributed to this report.
明尼阿波利斯（美联社）——据知情人士透露，联邦当局正准备在明尼苏达州开展一项针对非法移民的执法行动，主要目标是居住在美国的索马里非法移民。此举正值唐纳德·特朗普总统对该州索马里社区的言论升级之际。
消息人士称，此次行动可能在未来几天内展开，目标锁定明尼阿波利斯-圣保罗地区已收到最终驱逐令的人员。移民执法团队将遍布双子城，据描述这是一次有针对性的高优先级突袭行动，但具体计划仍存在变数，可能随时调整。
随着特朗普日益关注居住在美国的索马里裔群体，并声称他们'制造了许多麻烦'，一项针对索马里移民的执法行动可能会加剧明尼苏达州的紧张局势。社区领袖指出，这种言论已激化矛盾，并重新引发了对种族定性的担忧。
明尼苏达州拥有全美最大的索马里裔社区。许多人因逃离东非祖国的长期内战而流离失所，最终被该州包容的社会福利政策所吸引。
该消息人士称，此次行动预计将针对数百人。与以往的移民执法行动类似，可能会出现所谓的附带逮捕情况，即在行动过程中遇到非目标对象但缺乏合法身份的人也可能被拘留。
该消息人士要求匿名，以讨论尚未公开的内部审议内容。此次行动由《纽约时报》率先报道。
国土安全部发言人特里西娅·麦克劳克林表示，该机构不会讨论“未来或潜在的行动”。
麦可劳林表示：“移民和海关执法局（ICE）每天都在全国范围内执行国家法律。一个人成为ICE执法目标的原因并非其种族或民族，而是其非法居留的事实。”
近日，保守派媒体《城市杂志》声称，美国纳税人资金通过欺诈性政府项目流向了索马里青年党。此后，特朗普及其政府官员对在美索马里移民的言辞日趋激烈。
上月，特朗普宣布将取消居住在明尼苏达州的索马里移民的临时保护身份——该政策是为特定国家移民提供的免遭驱逐的法律保障。8月提交给国会的一份报告显示，全美仅有705名索马里人受此计划庇护。
针对有关潜在执法行动的新闻报道，明尼苏达州州长蒂姆·沃尔兹在社交媒体X上发文回应："我们欢迎对调查和起诉犯罪行为的支持。但搞公关噱头、无差别针对移民，并非解决问题的真正方法。"
特朗普声称来自索马里的移民“正在彻底接管曾经伟大的明尼苏达州”，并贬低了去年民主党副总统候选人沃尔兹。
财政部长斯科特·贝森特周一在社交媒体发文称，其部门正在调查一项指控：在拜登政府和州长蒂姆·沃尔兹无能的管理下，明尼苏达州勤劳民众的税款可能被转移至恐怖组织青年党。
美国-伊斯兰关系委员会明尼苏达分会的执行主任、索马里裔美国人杰兰尼·侯赛因（Jaylani Hussein）表示，其组织近日获悉当地索马里社区发生了“不到12起”移民逮捕事件。
但侯赛因表示，明尼苏达州约95%的索马里裔居民为美国公民，因此处于移民流程早期阶段的人数仅占该群体的『极少数』。他估计，该群体中50%的人口出生在美国。
侯赛因表示："我们认为这是政治煽动性言论，是对我们社区的攻击。"他提到拉丁裔和其他非洲裔群体时补充道："但增加移民海关执法局（ICE）探员数量，意味着更广泛的移民社区将承受更大压力。"
侯赛因表示，据报道的打击计划是特朗普政府"妖魔化穆斯林群体"的又一例证。他指出，当社区中有人犯罪时，整个群体都会受到指责，这种现象并不新鲜。他强调，这在美国历史上对其他族裔群体也同样适用。
美联社驻华盛顿记者丽贝卡·桑塔纳为本报道作出了贡献正规配资平台推荐。
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