Why Trump's Somali vitriol hit home in Columbus
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President Trump's hostile comments about Minnesota's Somali immigrants are rippling through Central Ohio, home to the second-largest Somali population in the U.S. — most of whom are citizens.
Why it matters: Many fear Columbus could be ICE's next target, following arrests in Minneapolis last week.
The latest: Local Somali leadership met last week over concerns about harassment and violence, and elected officials gathered Saturday to express support.
- Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said city resources won't be used to support deportation efforts or investigations solely based on immigration status.
Reality check: Trump said "their country stinks" and "they should be out of here" — but a majority of U.S. residents with Somali heritage are actually American citizens.
- Just over 82% in Ohio were either naturalized or born here, per the latest census data.
By the numbers: Around 26,000 people of Somali heritage were estimated to live in Ohio as of 2023.
- That's less than 1% of the state's population, though the figures are likely underreported.
- Area officials estimate the population is closer to 60,000 people.
- That's up from estimates of a few thousand in the late '90s and early 2000s.
The big picture: Today, our region's population boom is largely driven by international immigration that Somali refugees helped jumpstart.
Flashback: The Columbus area first became a Somali destination in the early 1990s, when migrants from the East African nation fled civil war.
- An abundance of factory and warehouse jobs, coupled with low housing prices, made it an attractive option. Word quickly spread.
- That led to chain migration of locals' friends and family, and waves of secondary migration from Somali refugees elsewhere in the U.S., according to the 2017 book "Somalis in the Twin Cities and Columbus."
Between the lines: Trump has targeted Somalia during both terms, but his recent remarks were sparked by multiple fraud cases in Minnesota involving government programs.
- Most of the people charged are of Somali descent, for a total of 86 — a sliver of the state's 84,000 Somali people, AP reports.
What they're saying: "I mean, referring to an entire community as garbage is just as low as you can get honestly," Somali-American state Rep. Ismail Mohamed (D-Columbus) told WOSU.
- "These are hardworking Americans … that want to contribute to the fabric of this country and they have."