Last week, President Trump attacked Somali immigrants in the nation during a Cabinet meeting, calling them “garbage” and saying that he didn’t want them in the U.S. Meanwhile, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is ramping up its activity in the Minneapolis metro area in Minnesota. That state is home to nearly 80,000 people of Somali descent, the largest such population in the nation.
In Oregon, there are roughly 12 to 15,000 people of Somali descent, most of whom live in Multnomah County, according to a 2016 county report. Musse Olol emigrated from Somalia to Oregon in 1981 and is the executive director of the Somali American Council of Oregon, which he co-founded in 2011. He says fear has gripped Somalis living in the Portland metro area, even among naturalized U.S. citizens such as himself. He joins us to share his perspective and the heightened tension within the local Somali community.
Think Out Loud