Officials in Minneapolis in the United States have joined forces to allay the fears of the city’s sizeable Somali community.
Their comments on Tuesday came after President Donald Trump escalated his attack on Somali immigrants saying they should go back to where they came from.
Statements by the mayor, the police chief, and other city officials also come amid reports that federal authorities are preparing a targeted immigration enforcement operation in the state of Minnesota.
“To our Somali community, we love you and we stand with you. That commitment is rock solid. Minneapolis is proud to be home to the largest Somali community in the entire country,” said Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey on Tuesday.
He said many Somalis had been living in the United States for decades and benefit both “the culture and the economic resilience of our city”.
Frey added that targeting Somali people will undoubtedly mean that due process will be violated.
“Mistakes will be made. And let’s be clear, it means that American citizens will be detained for no other reason than the fact that they look like they are Somali,” he said.
Trump week said he was terminating temporary protected status for Somalia that protects them from deportation and allows them to work in the US due to unsafe conditions in their country.
On Tuesday he escalated rhetoric about Minnesota’s sizable Somali community, saying he did not want immigrants to stay because “they contribute nothing”.
Frey pushed back, saying the Somali community had added greatly to Minneapolis.
“The economic fabric, their hard work, their leadership, it has made Minneapolis a better place,” he said.
The mayor added that they were not given advance notice about the reported immigration operation.
“But here’s what we can promise,” he said, “We will not compromise our values here in Minneapolis. Our values and our commitment to the Somali community, to every community of immigrants and people in our city is rock solid and will be unwavering.”
Sources said the enforcement operation could begin in the coming days and is expected to focus on the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and people with final orders of deportation.
The mayor vowed that the city’s police officers, many of whom are Somali, will not work with any federal agents doing immigration enforcement.
Source: Africanews
