Trump Revs Up His ‘Hate Somali, Hate Refugees’ Campaign at Minnesota Rally

Trump’s comments, the latest escalation of his ongoing feud with Omar and Somali refugees, drew fierce rebukes Thursday night from Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), a Democratic presidential candidate, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D). Omar also hit back at Trump over his criticisms of her.

“His hate is no match for our movement,” Omar tweeted, encouraging her followers to donate to her campaign.

At his rally just now, Trump called me an “America-hating socialist” and a “disgrace.” He shouted xenophobic conspiracy theories about me. He scolded my district for voting for me.

His hate is no match for our movement. Stand with me by donating now: https://t.co/QdUrT9zJsr pic.twitter.com/Ik8I9zlRTf

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) October 11, 2019

In a tweet, Klobuchar chided Trump for “using immigrants and refugees as political pawns!”

“Immigrants and refugees have helped make our state a wonderful place to live and work — which is far more than this President has done,” she wrote.

The President just attacked Somali Americans in his rally in Minnesota. Immigrants and refugees have helped make our state a wonderful place to live and work — which is far more than this President has done. Stop using immigrants and refugees as political pawns!

— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) October 11, 2019

Meanwhile, Frey had a pointed response to Trump telling the rally crowd to “speak to your mayor” about the president’s recently issued executive order that could keep refugees from being “resettled in any city or any state without the express written consent of that city or that state.”

“Consent given,” Frey tweeted. “Immigrants and refugees are welcome in Minneapolis.”

Minnesota has the largest concentration of Somalis in America, with more than 52,000 people in the state reporting Somali ancestry, the Star Tribune reported in July, citing 2017 data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Somalis coming directly from Africa, described as “primary refugees,” started being allowed into the state in 1993, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. Since then, Minnesota has welcomed almost 24,000 primary refugees, in addition to those who originally may have been relocated elsewhere in the U.S. and later moved to the Midwestern state because they were drawn there by word of mouth.

“When the people in the refugee camps heard about the early arrivals that came here and were well received, they reported back to their relatives,” Abdisalam Adam, a Somali American, told the Minnesota Historical Society in 2004.

Ahmed Samatar, who came to the United States from Somalia in 1974 to attend the University of Wisconsin, told WCCO that Minnesota is particularly enticing to refugees because of its strong economy and reputation as “a kind and progressive place.”

“It is the nature of the welcome itself and how hospitable that is,” said Samatar, now a professor of international studies at Macalester College.

Trump, however, has not viewed the Somali refugees with the same kindness.

Two days before the 2016 presidential election, then-candidate Trump told the crowd at a campaign rally in Minneapolis they had “suffered enough” as a result of “filthy refugee vetting” that had allowed an influx of Somalis into their state. He promised that if he became president, refugees would not be admitted “without the support of the community where they are being placed.”

In recent years, Trump also reportedly “raged” at then-acting homeland security secretary Elaine Duke, “asking why he could not ban refugees from ‘f—— Somalia,’” New York Times reporters Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Michael D. Shear wrote in their new book, “Border Wars: Inside Trump’s Assault on Immigration.”

Davis and Shear noted that Trump and senior policy adviser Stephen Miller “seemed to have a particular dislike for Somalia, often citing it or its nationals when they spoke of the potential dangers of refugees and other immigrants.”

In September, the Trump administration issued an executive order giving state and local governments more freedom to reject refugees. The action came the same day the federal government announced it had again cut its refugee program and will allow 18,000 applicants next year, a historic low. Trump has also made efforts to ban travel to the United States from several countries, including Somalia and other Muslim-majority nations.

On Thursday, ahead of the president’s most recent visit to Minneapolis, a number of Somali residents were on edge, the Star Tribune reported. Community leaders told the newspaper they were working with the FBI and had armed security guards monitoring Somali-owned businesses. Citizens, namely Muslim women with hijabs, were also advised to be watchful.

“When it’s happening in your own town and city it is more close to home than when it’s somewhere far,” Minnesota state Rep. Mohamud Noor (D), whose district includes Minneapolis, told the Star Tribune. “So we are trying to temper the fear that exists in the community.”

During the rally, Trump’s anger with Omar was apparent as he scolded the crowd for electing her. Earlier this year, Omar and three other minority Democratic congresswomen were targeted by Trump in a racist tweet that went on to inspire a rally chant of “Send her back!” directed at the first Somali American congresswoman.

[How a racist tweet became a Trump rally chant in three short days]

“I know the people of Minnesota,” Trump said Thursday. “How the hell did that ever happen? How did it happen?”

He proceeded to highlight Omar’s recent controversies, again ripping her over her comments about Israel and the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

“How do you have such a person representing you in Minnesota?” Trump said. “I’m very angry at you people right now.”

About 20 minutes later, Trump turned his attention to Minnesota’s Somali community. He touted his administration’s efforts to reduce refugee resettlement and warned that having Democrats in power would lead to “unvetted, uncontrolled migration at levels you have never seen before.”

“In the Trump administration, we will always protect American families first, and that has not been done in Minnesota,” Trump said. He added, “We will not make the mistakes made in European countries and allow a violent ideology to take root in our country on our shores; we’re not going to allow it to happen.”

Trump’s remarks drew cheers from rally attendees, but critics on social media were outraged.