Donald Trump, the U.S. presidential candidate on a Republican ticket, has lashed out at the Somali community in Minnesota, accusing them of joining ISIS and spreading Islamic extremist propaganda, reports the BBC.
Speaking at a political rally in Minnesota on Sunday, Trump condemned a recent knife attack, where a Somali immigrant stabbed 10 people at a shopping center in the state before being gunned down by the police.
The presidential candidate also promised to ensure that no more refugees are admitted from “terror-prone” regions and local communities are consulted before any refugees are settled in the area.
“Minnesota has problems with faulty refugee vetting, with large numbers of Somali refugees coming in to your state without your knowledge, without your support or approval,” Trump said.
Trump critics, especially from the Democratic Party, have condemned his statement, saying his sentiments do not reflect the majority of people in Minnesota and the United States.
Reacting to Trump’s statement, Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges said Somali immigrants made her city a better, stronger place.
Terrorist Sympathizers
According to the latest census, Minnesota hosts the largest Somali community in the United States, which currently stands at 50,000.
In recent times, the Somali community in the United States has been a major target for terrorism recruiters, with dozens of young Somali men leaving the state to join Islamic terror groups in Syria, Somalia, and other parts of the world.
In a week’s time, nine Somalis from Minnesota will be sentenced for conspiring to join the Islamic State group.
In Somalia, the Al-Qaida-affiliated terror group Al-Shabab has been causing havoc in different parts of the country, particularly the southern region, for more than a decade.
The war has left hundreds, if not thousands, of people dead and millions displaced, most of who have sought asylum in the United States and other parts of the world.
Over the last three decades, the U.S. State Department in conjunction with the United Nations has offered asylum to more than 132,000 Somali refugees in various American cities, according to WND.
Many have criticized this refugee program for the alleged lack of assimilation that some of the Somalis have displayed since their arrival, with some Americans naming the Cedar Riverside area of Minneapolis “Little Mogadishu.”
Mogadishu is the capital city of Somalia, where terror attacks by Al-Shabab have been a daily occurrence.
