Somali community under assault, elected officials say

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Elected officials say the Somali community is under attack, and they want it to stop.

Fear and frustration

Local perspective:

The Somali community has been in Minnesota for a long time.

Leaders in that community now say they and other immigrant communities are being unfairly targeted.

"Thousands of residents, many of them US citizens, are living in fear of what the President has said and the threat that is coming from the federal government. The fear is not abstract. It is felt in homes, in schools, in mosques and in the community," said Minneapolis City Councilmember Jamal Osman.

Demonize and dehumanize 

The backstory:

Several community leaders and elected officials gathered at the Brian Coyle Community Center on Wednesday afternoon to respond to word that Federal ICE agents are in the Twin Cities to target Somali immigrants who are in the country illegally.

They say the vast majority of Somali immigrants in Minnesota are US citizens and an attack on the Somali community is an attack on all immigrant communities in the state.

"What we see in Minneapolis is the authoritarian nature of this government acting as a third world nation by targeting lawful US citizens. We should be ashamed of that," said Jaylani Hussein, Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

What to do 

What they're saying:

The officials say Somalis should carry their passports or other documentation with them in case they are stopped.

"This is a moment for all of us and in this moment we ask for everyone to show their humanity and to show love in the face of hate. I know this moment will pass, but history will remind us of what we did in this moment," said Hussein.