Deportation orders for Somali nationals have surged in Minnesota this year as the Trump administration accelerates immigration cases and moves forward with a broader enforcement crackdown.
More than 1,000 Somali asylum-seekers nationwide have been ordered deported since February, according to a Minnesota Star Tribune analysis of federal immigration data.
More than half of those removal orders involve Somalis living in Minnesota, marking a nearly tenfold increase from 2025.
More than 500 Somali immigrants from Minnesota have received removal orders in 2026. Some have already been deported, while others have been transferred to detention facilities outside the state, including Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
The sharp increase follows a series of policy changes by the Trump administration, including the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Somali nationals and expedited immigration court proceedings for asylum cases.
The vast majority of Minnesota’s Somali population consists of U.S. citizens or legal residents. Only a small portion were covered by Temporary Protected Status.
Immigration attorneys have criticized the administration’s tactics, particularly the decision to send some detainees to Guantánamo Bay.
“Think of the taxpayer dollars it takes to do this,” Prokosch said. “They are using every lever possible to terrorize and scare people.”
BOOM:
EVERY REFUGEE ADMISSION FROM SOMALIA IS BLOCKED. THE ORDER IS STAYING PUT.
DEPORTATIONS OF SOMALIS IN MINNESOTA HAVE JUMPED TENFOLD. https://t.co/n19fRZe5ev
— Wake Up Patriot(@WakeUpPatriott) October 5, 2026
The Department of Homeland Security has defended the crackdown as part of President Donald Trump’s effort to enforce existing immigration laws and remove people who no longer have legal permission to remain in the country.
“If you come to our country illegally, you could end up in Guantánamo Bay or even another third country,” the Homeland Security spokesperson said.
The administration’s enforcement push accelerated after Operation Metro Surge began in Minnesota last December.
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Federal immigration agents detained roughly 3,800 people during the operation, according to data collected by the Deportation Data Project. Just over 100 of those arrested were Somali nationals.
The administration then shifted its focus toward the immigration courts.
In February, federal officials established an expedited process that immigration attorneys dubbed the “rocket docket,” allowing judges to rapidly hear cases involving Somali nationals through remote proceedings.
The change moved cases that had initially been scheduled far into the future onto much faster timelines.
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Nearly every Somali removal decision issued during the first eight months of 2026 involved immigrants placed on the expedited docket, according to the Star Tribune.
An immigration court spokesperson defended the faster proceedings, pointing to federal requirements calling for asylum applications to be resolved within 180 days when possible.
“Unnecessary delay hurts both aliens with meritorious claims and the American public who wish to see aliens with non-meritorious claims removed as quickly as possible,” the court spokesperson said in a statement.
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The accelerated cases come as the national immigration system remains overwhelmed by a backlog of roughly 2.3 million pending asylum applications.
Federal officials tightened the process further in July by shifting supervision of some Somali asylum claims into immigration court.
Critics say the changes have created uncertainty throughout Minnesota’s large Somali community.
“This has been much more dangerous and harmful to families,” Ahmed said.
Federal authorities have also used third-country deportation agreements to remove immigrants to nations other than their country of origin.
ICE defended those arrangements as another tool for enforcing final removal orders.
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“Third country agreements are helping close one of the loopholes in our immigration system that has far too often been abused with false claims,” ICE said in a prepared statement.
ICE has also defended transfers to Guantánamo Bay, saying some detainees sent there had significant criminal histories.
“This flight of illegal aliens to Guantánamo Bay included some of the worst of the worst with criminal histories including aggravated assaults, weapons offenses, robbery, multiple larcenies, police obstruction, possession of burglary tools, receiving stolen property, trespassing, unauthorized use of a vehicle, multiple drug charges and DUIs,” ICE said in a prepared statement.
The administration’s tougher approach has faced challenges from immigration attorneys and advocacy groups, particularly over conditions in Somalia and whether asylum-seekers can safely be returned there.
Federal officials have presented evidence in immigration proceedings arguing that conditions in parts of Somalia have improved, while the State Department continues to warn American travelers about terrorism, kidnapping and violent crime in the country.
Despite the dramatic rise in removal orders, some Somali applicants continue to win protection in immigration court.
Of the 148 Somali applicants who prevailed in their cases in 2026, more than 70% were women, with threats involving female genital mutilation remaining among the grounds on which asylum protections have been granted.
For now, the numbers show a major shift in immigration enforcement in Minnesota, with Somali asylum cases moving faster and deportation orders climbing sharply under the Trump administration.
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[ H/T Trending Politics ]
