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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Federal authorities are preparing a targeted immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota that would primarily focus on Somali immigrants living unlawfully in the U.S., according to a person familiar with the planning.
The move comes as President Donald Trump again on Tuesday escalated rhetoric about Minnesota's sizable Somali community, saying he did not want immigrants from the east African country in the U.S. because "they contribute nothing."
The enforcement operation could begin in the coming days and is expected to focus on the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and people with final orders of deportation, the person said. Teams of immigration agents would spread across the Twin Cities in what the person described as a directed, high-priority sweep, though the plans remain subject to change.
The prospect of a crackdown is likely to deepen tensions in Minnesota -- home to the nation's largest Somali community. They've been coming since the 1990s, fleeing their country's long civil war and drawn by Minnesota's generous social programs.
An estimated 260,000 people of Somalian descent were living in the U.S. in 2024, according to the Census Bureau's annual American Community Survey. The largest population is in the Minneapolis area, home to about 84,000 residents, most of whom are American citizens. Ohio, Washington and California also have significant populations.
Trump has become increasingly focused on Somalians living in the U.S., saying they "have caused a lot of trouble." Community leaders say Trump has inflamed tensions and revived fears of profiling.
The president said during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday that Somali immigrants are too reliant on the U.S. social safety net and add little.
"I don't want them in our country," he said. "Their country is no good for a reason."
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey pushed back against Trump's depiction of Somalis, saying it "violates the moral fabric of what we stand by in this country as Americans."
"They have started businesses and created jobs. They have added to the cultural fabric of what Minneapolis is," Frey said Tuesday.
The mayor vowed that the city's police officers, many of whom are Somali, will not work with any federal agents doing immigration enforcement, saying "it's not their job."
"Targeting Somali people means that due process will be violated, mistakes will be made, and let's be clear, it means that American citizens will be detained for no other reason than the fact that they look like they are Somali," he said. "That is not now and will never be a legitimate reason."
Hundreds of people are expected to be targeted in the operation, the person said. As with previous immigration operations, so-called incidental arrests are possible, meaning people who aren't targeted but lack legal status could also be detained, the person said.
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations that have not been publicly disclosed. The operation was first reported by The New York Times.
Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the agency would not discuss "future or potential operations."
"What makes someone a target of ICE is not their race or ethnicity, but the fact that they are in the country illegally," McLaughlin said.
Trump has claimed immigrants from Somalia were "completely taking over the once great State of Minnesota."