President Donald Trump stunned the nation Tuesday by declaring Minnesota’s Somali community “garbage” that has “destroyed our country,” vowing to strip Temporary Protected Status from hundreds of residents and unleash ICE raids on the state’s largest immigrant enclave. The explosive remarks, delivered during a Cabinet meeting, reignited a two-year-old $1 billion welfare-fraud scandal and thrust a little-known geopolitical fault line into the heart of American politics: the bitter divide between Somalia and the overlooked reality of the Republic of Somaliland.
At the center of the storm is the “Feeding Our Future” case. Federal prosecutors say a Minneapolis-based nonprofit billed taxpayers for millions of nonexistent COVID-era meals for children, then laundered the money into luxury cars, lakefront homes, and wire transfers to Somalia — some of which, investigators allege, were taxed by the al-Qaeda-linked terror group al-Shabaab. Of the 78 people charged, 76 are of Somali origin; only two are non-Somali Americans.
But a growing chorus of Somalilanders in the diaspora insists the numbers tell a deeper story. In an exclusive interview with Alpha News, an anonymous Somaliland activist — speaking under protection for fear of reprisal — drew a razor-sharp distinction between her homeland and Somalia proper.“
Somaliland is a country in the Horn of Africa… we have a distinct culture and a big difference from Somalia in the adherence to the rule of law,” she said. “Look at the feeding scam: 76 are from Somalia, two are Americans. That shows the difference. Somalilanders believe in the rule of law. We thrive in countries like the USA.”
She accused Somalia’s government and its diaspora of mirroring a culture where “politicians treat corruption as a skill,” citing viral footage of Somalia’s Defense Minister whispering to inflate famine-aid appeals fivefold on camera. Ordinary citizens, she argued, simply emulate their leaders.
The activist reserved her harshest words for Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), a Somalia native and one of Trump’s favorite targets. “Ilhan Omar disregards 6.8 million Black, Muslim, democratic people in Somaliland,” she charged. “She calls us ‘Somali isku-sheeg’ — those who falsely call themselves Somali. She preaches democracy and human rights but has never demanded accountability in Minnesota. To me, Ilhan Omar is a fraud, and I hope justice is knocking on her door very soon.”
Omar fired back Monday, flanked by Gov. Tim Walz, calling Trump’s threats “bigoted rhetoric” meant to distract from inflation and border failures. She dismissed the planned revocation of TPS — which affects fewer than 500 Minnesotans — as legally toothless and warned that ICE “strike teams” risk sweeping up American citizens.
The scandal has also engulfed Walz’s administration. More than 400 Minnesota Department of Human Services whistleblowers accuse his team of burying 2020 warnings about the fraud to avoid “alienating the Somali community,” a key Democratic voting bloc. House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) has subpoenaed records by December 17, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent opened a probe into whether state tax dollars indirectly funded al-Shabaab.
In a bizarre twist, the terror group itself released a propaganda video mocking Trump’s deportation threats as proof of American weakness — language that eerily echoes Democratic talking points about xenophobia fueling radicalization.
As federal agents prepare to descend on Minneapolis neighborhoods, Somaliland voices are pleading with Washington: punish the guilty, but do not paint an entire diaspora with the same brush.
“We are American patriots,” the activist told Alpha News. “This country gave us opportunity. Hold individuals accountable — not all Somalis.