US President Donald Trump took aim at Minnesota's Somali community on Wednesday, amid renewed policies against migrants after the shooting of two National Guardsmen in Washington.
Without providing evidence, Mr Trump said the large Somali community in the Midwestern state has defrauded the US.
"Look at their nation, look how bad their nation – it's not even a nation, it's just a people walking around killing each other," he said. "These Somalians have taken billions of dollars out of our country. They've taken billions and billions of dollars."
On Tuesday, Mr Trump attacked Ilhan Omar, a Democratic congresswoman from Minnesota, at a long Cabinet meeting, during which he also said Somalis "contribute nothing" to the US.
"Ilhan Omar is garbage, she's garbage, her friends are garbage," he said. "These are people that do nothing but complain."
Ms Omar responded on X, saying: "His obsession with me is creepy. I hope he gets the help he desperately needs."
About 260,000 people of Somali descent live in the US, according to the 2024 Census. The largest population is concentrated in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The comments come amid a nationwide crackdown on immigration after a shooting near the White House last week that killed one soldier and left the other in a critical condition.
The attack was allegedly carried out by an Afghan man, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, and sent shockwaves through Afghan diaspora communities already anxious over increasing scrutiny.
On Friday, the Trump administration announced that it was halting all asylum decisions and pausing visas for people travelling on Afghan passports.
And on Tuesday, the administration announced it was halting all immigration applications for people from 19 "high-risk" countries, including Somalia.
Mr Trump has made immigration a focus of his policy goals. He has said that restricting even legal immigration and deporting undocumented migrants would benefit the Americans and the US economy.
