Trump Repeats Baseless Claims of ‘Somali Pirates’ Pillaging Minnesota, But Remains Silent on ICE Killings

By Sunita Sohrabji

President Donald Trump took hard aim at immigrants, especially Somali Americans in Minnesota, in his Feb. 24 State of the Union address.

President Donald Trump Feb. 24 evening delivered his State of the Union address as Vice President JD Vance (left) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (right) looked on. (Screen grab)

As Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, looked on in anger, President Donald Trump targeted Somali residents in her state in his Feb. 24 blatantly anti-immigration State of the Union address.

“When it comes to the corruption that is plundering America, there’s been no more stunning example than Minnesota. Members of the Somali community there have pillaged an estimated $19 billion from the American taxpayer,” alleged Trump. “We have all the information.”

“The Somali pirates who ransacked Minnesota remind us that there are large parts of the world where bribery, corruption, and lawlessness are the norm, not the exception,” said the President, as Omar shouted out: “Liar.”

‘War on Fraud’

“Importing these cultures through unrestricted immigration and open borders brings those problems right here to the USA. And it is the American people who pay the price in higher medical bills, car insurance rates, rent, taxes, and perhaps most importantly, crime. We will take care of this problem,” said Trump. He announced “the war on fraud,” to be led by Vice President JD Vance, and aimed at rooting out alleged fraud by immigrants in California, Massachusetts, and Maine.

Omar invited special guest Aliya Rahman, a resident of Minneapolis, Minnesota, who has autism and traumatic brain injury. On Jan. 13, Rahman was going to the Hennepin County Traumatic Brain Injury Center. But she found herself in the midst of an ICE enforcement traffic jam. Rahman was caught in the melee by ICE officers who shoved her to the ground, cuffed her, and dragged her through the street. Cartilage and tendons in both of Rahman’s shoulders were torn in the incident.

Arrests

At the State of the Union, Rahman was arrested for standing up during Trump’s diatribe on “Somali pirates.” The evening was filled with Republicans standing up and applauding every time Trump said something of note. Frequent standing ovations are the norm at State of the Union addresses.

However, Capitol police told the Minnesota Reformer: “The guest was told to sit down, but refused to obey our lawful orders. It is illegal to disrupt the Congress and demonstrate in the congressional buildings, so Rahman was arrested for unlawful conduct, disruption of Congress.”

Rep. Al Green, D-Texas was also arrested during Trump’s State of the Union address, for allegedly being disruptive.

The President exhorted his audience. “If you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support. The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.”

Trump chided members of Congress who did not stand. But he made no mention of the killing of two U.S. citizens, Alex Pretti and Renée Nicole Good, by ICE agents during Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis.

“Donald Trump killed two of my constituents. He is a liar and should be ashamed of himself,” posted Omar to X.

ICE Enforcement

Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, delivered the Spanish language response to Trump’s speech. He noted that 40 people have died in ICE custody.

“We see ICE agents using excessive force: entering homes without judicial warrants and shooting at cars with families still inside. Placing people in detention centers without adequate access to doctors, healthy food, or clean drinking water,” said Padilla.

Polling shows a majority of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of immigration, once among his strongest issues. His overall approval has also plummeted, nearing record lows seen following the Jan. 6 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger also chided Trump for his harsh immigration enforcement tactics. “Our president has sent poorly trained federal agents into our cities where they have arrested and detained American citizens and people who aspire to be Americans. And they have done it without a warrant.”

“They have ripped nursing mothers away from their babies. They have sent children, a little boy in a blue bunny hat, children to far-off detention centers. And they have killed American citizens in our streets. And they have done it all with their faces masked from accountability,” said Spanberger, delivering the Democratic rebuttal.

Convicts

The President lambasted the former Biden Administration for its alleged “open borders” policy. “They poured in by the millions and millions from prisons, from mental institutions. There were murderers, 11,888 murderers. You allowed that to happen.”

But in 2024, only 1% of people stopped at the border had any criminal convictions according to data from Customs and Border Patrol. Additional CBP data indicate arrests at the border dropped during Trump’s 1st term, and rose again during the Biden Administration.

Delilah’s Law

Delilah Coleman with her father Marcus at the 2026 State of the Union address. (Screen grab)

In his State of the Union speech, Trump announced “Delilah’s law,” named for Delilah Coleman, a first grader who was almost killed in 2024 when an 18-wheeler truck driven by undocumented resident Pratap Singh collided with her family’s car. Delilah’s law would bar any state from issuing a commercial driver’s license to an undocumented resident.

Punjabis make up almost 20% of the nation’s trucking work force and 40% of California truck drivers, according to data from the North American Punjabi Trucking Association. Singh was initially not arrested, but entered into ICE custody last August. Reports indicate he may have been asleep at the wheel during the collision.

The Niskanen Center, a centrist think tank, predicts 200,000 legally authorized truck drivers will be pushed off the roads as the Transportation Department asserts severe restrictions on commercial licenses.

Trump also called for passage of what he dubbed the “Save America Act,” requiring proof of citizenship and voter ID for federal elections.

Sanctuary Cities

He chided lawmakers representing sanctuary cities. “You should be ashamed of yourselves. I’m asking you to end deadly sanctuary cities that protect the criminals and enact serious penalties for public officials who block the removal of criminal aliens, drug lords, and murderers all over our country. Local public officials are blocking the removal of these people out of our country,” Trump claimed.

He demanded restoration of funding for the Department of Homeland Security, accusing Democrats of engineering a shutdown that he said jeopardized border enforcement. DHS has been in shutdown since Feb. 13; workers in several agencies within the department have been working without pay.

Trump’s 2026 State of the Union was one of the longest ever, clocking in at 1 hour, 47 minutes. Democratic congresswomen dressed in white wore name badges that read: “Release the Epstein Files.”

In his speech, the President applauded himself for a healthy economy in which the stock market hit record highs 53 times and gasoline prices came down to record lows; bringing down drug prices via Trump RX; and stopping Iran from building a nuclear weapons arsenal.

Iran

“They have been warned to make no future attempts to rebuild their weapons program, and in particular, nuclear weapons. Yet they continue starting it all over,” said Trump. “They are at this moment again pursuing their sinister ambitions.”

“We are in negotiations with them. They want to make a deal, but we haven’t heard those secret words: we will never have a nuclear weapon,” said Trump. He stated his preference for a diplomatic solution.

“One thing is certain, I will never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror, which they are by far, to have a nuclear weapon,” said the President, hinting at possible escalation with Iran, as he has threatened previously.

First Lady Melania Trump pins the Congressional Medal of Honor on 100-year-old veteran E. Royce Williams. (Screen grab)

In a lighter moment, Trump honored 100-year-old veteran E. Royce Williams the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions in a secret mission during the Korean War. It is the 1st time the medal of honor has been bestowed during a State of the Union address. First Lady Melania Trump pinned the medal on Williams.