Somali Americans Are Carrying Proof of Citizenship Amid ICE Raids

“Before, carrying my passport around, I had a feeling of pride, and now I’m carrying it and it has a lot of darkness around it because now I’m just like, ‘I just want to get home safe to my kids.’” We’re in Minneapolis, days after the Trump administration directed ICE to begin targeting and arresting undocumented Somali migrants in the city. “The Somalians should be out of here. They’ve destroyed our country. We’re going to go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country.” “People from Somalia aren’t garbage. When I heard it the first time, it was heartbreaking. Because, not for myself, because I know I’m not.” Munira Maalimisaq runs a primary care clinic in Minneapolis. “To have the president of the United States say these things, I think it feels like I definitely don’t belong.” Minnesota is home to around 80,000 Somalis, many of whom were either born here or have been here for decades. Over 85 percent of Somalis here are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents, but they still worry they could be wrongfully arrested. “People are carrying not only their ID, but their passports. No one gets their passports out unless they’re traveling overseas. But now, I’m carrying my passport, right?” This local Somali shopping center would normally be packed on a Thursday afternoon, but today it’s largely deserted. “Americans like me have to feel like, ‘OK, I can’t leave without having proper documentation,’ and many people are doing that. My entire life has been public service. I have served in the Army National Guard for six years, and I was elected as the first person of color, the first Muslim, the first Somali, the first of many things, to serve in the City Council in New Brighton. When the president speaks with such vile racist remarks, you feel like you lost some of that American values that this country had.” Back at the clinic, Munira says the fear is also affecting her patients. “We have no one here today because we were told that ICE is around here. People are choosing to stay home.” The Department of Homeland Security says ICE has arrested at least 19 people in Minneapolis since the raids began, including at least eight Somali nationals accused of serious crimes. It’s not clear if more raids are coming. But for now, Munira’s biggest concern is how the president’s words will affect her children. “As a mom, not just a mom, but a Somali mom, this is scary time. I worry for my boys. I worry that a teacher may not give them the attention that they deserve. My daughter, I worry for her. How can we get her to blend in a little bit more? Which is hard, right, to tell your kid to hide their own identity? I hope that they know that these words are touching real people and real people that love this country.”