Trump Deploys ICE 'Strike Teams' in Minnesota Raids Targeting Somali Community Amid Backlash Over D.C. National Guard Shooting

Minneapolis, Minn. — December 2, 2025  In a sweeping escalation of his administration's immigration crackdown, President Donald Trump has authorized the deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) "strike teams" to conduct targeted raids on Somali immigrants in Minnesota's Twin Cities region, sources confirmed Tuesday. The operation, which began this week, comes in the immediate aftermath of a deadly shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., last Wednesday—an incident involving an Afghan national that has ignited a firestorm of anti-immigrant rhetoric from the White House.

The raids focus primarily on individuals with final deportation orders, though officials indicated that those still navigating legal status could also be ensnared in the sweeps. Composed of ICE officers, Department of Homeland Security agents, and other federal personnel, the strike teams are operating in Minneapolis and St. Paul, areas home to the nation's largest Somali diaspora, numbering over 61,000 residents according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

An anonymous federal official described the effort as a direct response to Trump's recent directives, emphasizing enforcement against those "in the country illegally."

The timing of the operation has drawn sharp criticism from immigrant rights advocates and local leaders, who argue it exploits the D.C. tragedy to stoke fear among a vulnerable community with no apparent connection to the shooting. Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 28-year-old Afghan asylum seeker and former CIA collaborator, faces federal murder and terrorism charges after allegedly gunning down Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and critically wounding Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe near the White House. Beckstrom, a Minnesota native, died from her injuries, while Wolfe remains in critical condition.

Despite the suspect's Afghan background, Trump pivoted swiftly to Minnesota's Somali population in a series of inflammatory Truth Social posts and public remarks."I don’t want them in our country," Trump declared Thursday at Mar-a-Lago, referring to Somalis in Minnesota, whom he accused of "completely taking over" the state and fueling gangs and fraud.

In a Thanksgiving message, he lambasted Democratic Gov. Tim Walz as a "retard" and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.—herself a Somali refugee—as emblematic of the "trouble" caused by such immigrants, falsely claiming residents are "locking themselves in their homes" to evade "roving Somali gangs."

Trump also announced the immediate termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalis—a program shielding eligible nationals from deportation due to instability in their homeland—and ordered a review of green cards issued to migrants from Somalia and 18 other "high-risk" countries.

These moves build on pre-shooting tensions, including Trump's unsubstantiated allegations of "billions" in missing funds tied to Somali-linked fraud in a COVID-era child nutrition program, Feeding Our Future, which federal prosecutors say involved over $300 million in schemes with ties to al-Shabaab, the al-Qaeda affiliate in Somalia.

The White House has halted asylum decisions for Afghans and paused visas for third-country nationals, while ICE issued a stark warning: "Self-deport now."

Community leaders and Democrats decried the raids as racially motivated fearmongering. "This is a horrific crime in D.C. being weaponized against Minnesotans who have built lives here," Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said on CNN, noting that about 73% of Somali immigrants nationwide are naturalized citizens.

Rep. Omar vowed to support affected constituents, while a coalition of faith groups and the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party rallied at the State Capitol Monday in solidarity.

ICE spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin defended the actions, insisting they target legal violations, not ethnicity: "What makes someone a target of ICE is not their race... but the fact that they are in the country illegally."

Republicans, however, have amplified Trump's calls for broader deportations, particularly of Muslims, with Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., urging a ban on "ISLAM immigrants."

The operation risks deepening divides in a state already strained by Trump's National Guard deployments in D.C., where the slain and wounded troops were serving under his orders.

As federal teams fan out across the Twin Cities, immigrant advocates report heightened anxiety, with families canceling appointments and avoiding public spaces. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem offered no timeline for ending TPS during a Sunday visit to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, leaving the Somali community in limbo.

Critics warn that the raids could ensnare legal residents, echoing past ICE operations that have drawn lawsuits for overreach.The White House has not commented on the Minnesota specifics but reiterated Trump's "reverse migration" agenda, which includes exploring denaturalization for those deemed to "undermine domestic tranquility."

17GEN4.com