Trump’s “Garbage” Remarks — A New Flashpoint in Somali-American Fallout. In a sharply worded address during a Cabinet meeting on December 2, 2025, President Donald Trump unleashed a wave of vicious rhetoric targeting Somali immigrants — especially those in Minnesota — and labeled Representative Ilhan Omar “garbage.”
“If we keep taking in garbage into our country … Ilhan Omar is garbage. She’s garbage. Her friends are garbage,” Trump said.
He added that he doesn’t want Somali immigrants living in the United States, claiming they “contribute nothing,” rely on welfare, and should “go back to where they came from.”
Immigration Crackdown and Minnesota’s Somali Community
The remarks come as the administration reportedly ramps up immigration enforcement aimed at the Somali community in Minnesota — home to one of the largest Somali-American populations in the U.S.
– Advertisement –
Critics note that most Somali immigrants in Minnesota are either U.S. citizens or legal residents, and many have lived in the U.S. for decades. Labeling the entire group as “garbage” risks sweeping vast swathes of law-abiding people under hateful generalizations. Local leaders in Minnesota have expressed alarm.
Ilhan Omar’s Response & Outrage Over Rhetoric
Representative Ilhan Omar — herself a Somali-American refugee turned U.S. lawmaker — responded swiftly and sharply. On social media she wrote that Trump’s “obsession with me is creepy,” and added: “I hope he gets the help he desperately needs.”
Her response highlights a broader outcry among civil-rights advocates, immigrants and community leaders decrying the remarks as deeply racist and anti-immigrant.
Fallout: Community Backlash, Legal & Ethical Concerns
Many Somali-Americans and supporters say the remarks perpetuate harmful stereotypes, and fear increased racial profiling, discrimination, and threats to civil rights.
Local officials in Minnesota have reaffirmed that Somali immigrants are valued community members — “neighbors, friends, family” — and criticized the demeaning language as “wrong” and “un-American.”
Civil-rights groups warn that such rhetoric from the White House risks normalizing xenophobia and undermines immigrant contributions to American society.
What This Means Going Forward
With intensified immigration enforcement reportedly targeting Somali immigrants in Minnesota, the timing of Trump’s remarks appears to signal a major shift in federal policy — potentially impacting thousands of individuals, including long-established residents and citizens.
At a broader level, the incendiary rhetoric fuels societal division and raises serious questions about moral leadership, equal treatment under the law, and the place of immigrant communities in America’s future.
