President Trump targeted Somalis this week, calling the country and its people “garbage” and saying he does not want them in the United States.
While Minneapolis has the country’s largest Somali population, San Diego also has a sizable community, and many say the President’s comments are upsetting. The latest census numbers show more than 15,000 people from the Eastern Horn of Africa now call San Diego home.
“They’ve destroyed our country,” President Donald Trump said.
With a sweeping statement, Trump sharply criticized the people and their homeland.
“I don’t want them in our country, I’ll be honest with you, ok? Some would say, ‘Oh, that’s not politically correct.’ I don’t care. I don’t want them in our country,” Trump said.
The President and CEO of the Somali Rights Association of America in San Diego responded by saying, “Somali people are welcoming people, lovely people, family people.”
The Somali Bantu Association of America, a non-partisan, non-profit organization on El Cajon Blvd., helps refugees find employment, runs a weekly food pantry, and offers youth and women empowerment programs.
“We want to be in this country with dignity and respect. We respect the laws, we respect the government, we love the people. We love the nation,” Saidosman Abiyow said.
President Trump’s comments come as immigration crackdowns intensify, targeting Somalis with deportation orders after several dozen people of Somali descent were convicted of fraud in Minnesota, with a billion dollars allegedly siphoned from federal programs during the pandemic.
“Barely a country, you know, they have no— they have no anything. They just run around killing each other,” Trump said.
He is now calling for an end to legal protections for some Somali migrants. The U.S. first extended temporary protected status in 1991 when civil war forced hundreds of thousands to flee, including Saidosman Abiyow. Now a U.S. citizen, he is the youngest of 13. Nine of his siblings were killed in front of him.
“We ran away from our country, sought refuge here, so getting this message is disheartening to us,” he said. “This is our new land, our new hope — we have an opportunity for everything. Some—they’re doctors, they’re lawyers, some are police.”
People in Mogadishu have also reacted, calling the President’s comments inappropriate and insulting. The Prime Minister said it is better to ignore Trump’s words than to elevate them.
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