Somali communities across the world are voicing strong condemnation after former U.S. President Donald Trump made what many are calling his most openly derogatory remarks yet about Somalis, describing immigrants from Somalia as “garbage” and questioning their place in the United States. The comments, delivered during a White House Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, sparked swift backlash from civic leaders, elected officials, and ordinary citizens from East Africa to North America.
In Minneapolis, home to the largest Somali population in the United States, statements of outrage poured in within minutes of news of the remarks breaking. Community organizations expressed concern that such rhetoric could incite anti-immigrant hostility and undermine years of work to build cohesion between Somali residents and local institutions. Several advocacy groups released joint statements calling the comments “xenophobic,” “dehumanizing,” and “flatly dangerous.”
Elected officials also responded promptly. City leaders in Minneapolis emphasized that Somali-Americans have become integral to the cultural, political, and economic life of the region. Many highlighted the contributions of Somali professionals, entrepreneurs, healthcare workers, and public servants who have shaped Minnesota’s identity over the last three decades.
Trump’s newly ignited controversy has drawn parallels to earlier moments in his political career. During his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump criticized Somali refugee resettlement in Minnesota, claiming it had created security concerns, claims strongly refuted by local law enforcement and researchers. In 2018, Somalia was included in the expanded travel restrictions popularly known as the “Muslim Ban,” a policy widely condemned as discriminatory.
For many Somali-Americans, these historical precedents amplify the seriousness of the current remarks. Community leaders warn that inflammatory language from high-level officials can embolden discriminatory behavior and deepen social fractures. Civil-rights organizations are already monitoring for signs of increased harassment or profiling, particularly among visibly Muslim Somali women who often bear the brunt of xenophobic rhetoric.
A Global Community Responds:
The reaction extended throughout the global Somali diaspora. In cities such as London, Toronto, Nairobi, Doha, and Stockholm, Somali advocacy groups and youth networks circulated messages of solidarity, asserting that the community would not accept being collectively maligned. Many emphasized that the vast majority of Somalis living abroad are engaged in education, business, and public service, and that the narrative pushed by Trump overlooks decades of resilience and achievement.
Despite the global criticism, officials in Somalia have called for calm. Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre advised citizens not to escalate tensions and dismissed the remarks as unworthy of national retaliation. Meanwhile, U.S. lawmakers from both parties have begun issuing statements rejecting the language used, calling it divisive and inconsistent with American values.
As backlash continues to unfold, analysts say the episode underscores a larger reckoning about rhetoric, responsibility, and the treatment of immigrant communities in political discourse. Somali leaders argue that while criticism of policy is fair, attacking an entire nationality or diaspora population crosses into dangerous territory, particularly at a moment when migrant communities worldwide already face heightened vulnerability.
For now, global Somali communities remain united in their response: they reject Trump’s remarks unequivocally, reaffirming their identity, their contributions, and their place in the societies they call home.
