In the early 1990s, ethnic Somalis first emigrated to the Twin Cities in the
United States after the
start of the
civil war in
Somalia, or from other parts of
Greater Somalia. Many of the newer arrivals moved to Minnesota through voluntary agencies (VOLAGS), such as
Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota and
Catholic Charities. Somalis who arrived earlier assisted the more recent immigrants. According to the
Minnesota Department of Health, 23,915 refugees arrived in Minnesota from Somalia between 1979 and 2017. The Minnesota Department of Human Services recorded 13,582 Somali refugees arriving between 2005 and 2018. In 2024, Minnesota recorded 1,267 arrivals from Somalia. Secondary migration from other U.S. states has also been a large source of population growth. Between 2010 and 2016, Minnesota received 3,740 documented secondary arrivals, primarily from New York and Texas, settling mainly in
Hennepin,
Stearns, and
Kandiyohi counties. Somalis in the Twin Cities and elsewhere in the United States often send resources to their extended families abroad, remittances that were facilitated by the signing of the
Money Remittances Improvement Act. Following a greatly improved security situation in Somalia in 2012, many Somali U.S. residents have also begun returning to
Mogadishu and other parts of the country. A few of the homeward-bound immigrants along with some American-born associates have been sought and/or prosecuted for allegedly providing material support to the
Al-Shabaab and
Islamic State political militant groups. By late 2013, fewer expatriates were joining the groups' ranks, according to intelligence officials. Most of the returnees have instead repatriated for investment opportunities and to take part in the ongoing post-conflict reconstruction process in Somalia. Participating in the renovation of schools, hospitals, roads and other infrastructure, they have played a leading role in the capital's recovery and have also helped propel the local real estate market. Most, though not all, of those charged and convicted in the case were members of the Twin Cities' Somali American community. Aimee Bock, the leader of Feeding our Future and a white woman, accused state agencies of discrimination against the Somali community.
Hamse Warfa, a Somali American former state and federal official, wrote in the
Star Tribune that the case should not be used to scapegoat the entire community. Several years after the first charges were brought, the Feeding Our Future case was cited by President
Donald Trump as a reason to cut off
temporary protected status for some Somali refugees in Minnesota. Despite thousands of arrests in the operation, few were of Somali Americans, and no detainees had ties to Feeding Our Future or
other fraud under investigation. Despite this, many US citizens of Somali descent were targeted by harassment or temporary detention by immigration agents during the operation, leading them to file suit in federal court. Businesses owned by Somali-Americans suffered from external harassment and reduced traffic as members of the community attempted to avoid targeting by federal agents. The Somali community also participated extensively in grassroots organizing and activism opposing Operation Metro Surge, alongside other Minnesotans. ==Demographics==