The Immigrant Times reporting from North America
> Trump calls Somali Americans garbage
> US to halt all migration from the 'third-world'
> US to re-examine already settled refugees
> Pope Leo rebukes US administration
In a White House meeting, President Trump described US citizens of Somali descent, like Congress member Ilhan Omar and community council member Aj Awer, as “garbage”
USA / MINNESOTA
President Trump calls US citizens of Somali descent ‘garbage’
December 2025: In a volatile outburst, US President Trump levelled sweeping, incendiary remarks against the Somali community in Minnesota, calling Somali immigrants ‘garbage’, saying their country ‘stinks’, and declaring he did not want them in the United States. He doubled down hours later during an Oval Office event, saying, “Somalians should be out of here”, and accusing them of having destroyed the country.
During a Cabinet meeting, Trump reportedly said, “We’re going to go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country.” He singled out immigrants from Somalia, and even referenced Ilhan Omar, a member of the US House of Representatives, calling her ‘garbage’ and denouncing her and ‘her friends’ as part of what he described as a community contributing nothing to America.
At the same time, according to media reporting, federal authorities moved to launch a targeted immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota, focusing on the metropolitan area of Minneapolis–Saint Paul, where most Somali-Americans in the US live.
The immediate trigger behind the White House escalation appears to be a wave of prosecutions tied to alleged fraud in pandemic-era social service and food-aid programmes. Some of those charged are from Minnesota’s Somali community, but the public record and federal filings do not support the sweeping narrative advanced by Trump of a community-wide criminal conspiracy.
Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota, responded sharply. While acknowledging the need to investigate fraud where it occurs, he condemned what he called a “demonisation of an entire community”. “You commit crimes, you go to jail, but to blanket an ethnic group based on the actions of a few is lazy and dangerous,” Walz told reporters.
Jacob Frey, Mayor of Minneapolis, joined the backlash. He vowed that city police, including many officers who are Somali, would not help with immigration enforcement. Frey called Trump’s remarks a violation of American values and warned that aggressive enforcement operations risk detaining US citizens purely based on appearance. “Targeting Somali people means that due process will be violated,” he said.
Somali community members described growing fear. Many said they worry about leaving their homes, going to work or sending children to school. Some called the president’s remarks reminiscent of historic hate speech.
Minnesota hosts the largest Somali community in the US, with most of the nearly 100,000 members naturalised US citizens.
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USA / WASHIGNTON DC SHOOTING
President Trump to halt migration from ‘Third-World’ countries, following the shooting of National Guard officers
November: In the wake of a deadly ambush on two West Virginia National Guard members near the White House in Washington, D C, the US government has announced sweeping changes to US immigration policy. The accused shooter, identified as 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, opened fire on the guardsmen on 26 November 2025, killing Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and critically wounding Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe.
Federal, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies have responded swiftly. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) launched an investigation, treating the incident as a potential act of terrorism. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced an immediate and indefinite halt to processing immigration applications from Afghan nationals, pending a full review of security and vetting protocols.
Late Thursday (27 November), President Trump used a post on social media to declare a new measure: a ‘permanent pause’ on migration from all so-called ‘Third-World countries’. In his address, he vowed to revoke many federal benefits for non-citizens, deport those deemed ‘public charges’ or security risks, and even hinted at a ‘reverse migration’ initiative.
The president’s announcement did not enumerate all the nations he meant by ‘Third World’. However, earlier this year, his administration issued a travel-restriction proclamation covering 19 countries. Of these, 12 are fully barred from new visas, including Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. An additional seven countries, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela, face partial restrictions.
Whether the newly declared ‘immigration freeze’ will mirror that existing list or expand to additional nations remains unclear. Officials have not yet published a definitive ‘third world’ country roster tied to the November 2025 directive.
The shooting prompted a rapid wave of concern in Washington. Muriel Bowser, Mayor of Washington, D C, was among the first local leaders to respond. She called the attack a targeted shooting and expressed solidarity with the wounded guardsmen.
Though she did not outright endorse the additional deployment of 500 troops ordered by Trump, Bowser affirmed that local and federal authorities were working together to ensure safety in the capital while investigations continue.
In previous months, Bowser has voiced cautious support for federal assistance, but also concern over trust between law enforcement and immigrant communities, arguing increased presence of out-of-state National Guard and enforcement agents can erode local trust.
The federal crackdown, and the rhetoric surrounding it, has already generated alarm among refugee-resettlement and immigrant-rights organisations. As one advocacy group noted shortly after the shooting, “this individual’s isolated and violent act should not be used as an excuse to define or diminish an entire community.”
With USCIS suspending Afghan immigration processing and a broader review of asylum and green-card approvals underway, many Afghans and other immigrants fear being caught in sweeping policy changes.
Investigators have yet to publicly confirm a motive, calling it a “targeted attack”, but saying the suspect’s motive remains under investigation.
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Sources: Reuters; CBS News; The Guardian; Military Times; Al Jazeera; The Washington Post
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USA / USCIS
Trump administration set to re-interview already settled Biden-era refugees
November 2026: In a move that has raised alarm among refugee advocates, the Trump administration has ordered a comprehensive review, including re-interviews, of all refugees admitted under President Biden between January 2021 and February 2025, according to an internal government memo.
The directive, signed on 21 November by USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services) Director Joseph Edlow, argues that during the Biden years, expediency and quantity were prioritised over detailed screening and vetting. As a result, the memo orders a comprehensive review and re-interview of all refugees admitted in that period.
Crucially, it halts the processing of permanent residency applications for these refugees. The memo also states that, when appropriate, USCIS may re-interview refugees admitted outside that timeframe.
Perhaps most controversially, Edlow’s directive warns that if a refugee is found not to meet the criteria upon re-interview, their status may be terminated. The memo underscores that when appropriate USCIS will review those already in the US, including some who have already received green cards. Notably, the memo indicates there is no automatic right of appeal for those flagged, though those placed in removal proceedings can defend themselves in immigration court.
Refugee groups have strongly condemned the review. Mark Hetfield, President of HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), called it unspeakably cruel, warning that threatening status revocation risks re-traumatising people who already fled persecution. Sharif Aly, head of the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), highlighted that refugees are already among the most thoroughly vetted immigrants: “Refugees have already been more vetted than any other group. It would also be a tremendous waste of government resources to review and re-interview some 230,000 people who have been living peacefully in our communities for years.”
Legal experts expect this move will trigger lawsuits. Critics argue that the mass re-interviews not only undermine trust but are logistically burdensome, potentially overwhelming USCIS and placing refugees in limbo.
This is more than a bureaucratic exercise. Refugee resettlement has historically enjoyed bipartisan support; the Trump administration’s decision to reopen cases signals a sharp turn. Taking such a dramatic step also raises broader concerns about the humanitarian ethos of US refugee policy. The vast majority of these refugees have already passed years of vetting before coming to America. Now, they face fresh scrutiny months or years after being admitted.
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USA / VATICAN
Pope Leo backs US bishops in a rebuke of President Trump’s immigration raids
November 2025: Pope Leo XIV has issued strong support for the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) after they released an unusually direct statement criticising President Donald Trump’s recent immigration raids targeting long-term undocumented residents.
The bishops, meeting at their autumn assembly in Baltimore on 11-13 November, condemned what they described as indiscriminate mass deportation and said the US administration’s enforcement tactics had created widespread fear, profiling, and instability in immigrant communities. They voiced concern over conditions in detention centres, the treatment of migrants during arrests, and the removal of restrictions that once limited immigration enforcement near churches, hospitals, and schools.
The statement, the first single-issue message adopted at a bishops’ general assembly in more than a decade, passed overwhelmingly. Alongside it, the bishops announced a new initiative, ‘You Are Not Alone’, aimed at providing emergency support, advocacy, and pastoral care to immigrant families.
From Castel Gandolfo, the Pope’s country residence, the Pontiff praised the bishops’ intervention and urged Americans to listen to them, calling their concerns very important. While acknowledging the right of nations to control their borders, he criticised the treatment of undocumented immigrants who have lived in the United States for many years, describing some enforcement actions as extremely disrespectful.
He emphasised that migrants, regardless of legal status, should receive humane treatment and due process. “There are courts, there is a system of justice,” he said, urging authorities to uphold those standards.
The Pope’s comments give the bishops’ stance additional weight at a time of heightened political tension over immigration. Their message calls for renewed attention to human dignity, improved conditions in detention facilities, and legislative reforms that balance enforcement with compassion.
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Further reading: Rome summit on migrants and refugees ||
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USA / WHITE SOUTH AFRICAN REFUGEES
The US slashes refugee admissions while giving priority to White South Africans
Trump officials claim that White South Africans face rising violence and 'economic marginalisation' through land reform and employment equity policies.
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October 2025: In a sweeping change to US refugee policy, President Donald Trump announced that the United States will admit no more than 7,500 refugees in the coming year, the lowest cap since the refugee programme was created in 1980. The previous ceiling, set under President Joe Biden, was 125,000.
The White House confirmed that the sharply reduced number will prioritise white South Africans, citing what it called “systemic discrimination by South Africa’s black-majority government.” Trump claimed the US had “a moral duty to protect those being persecuted because of their race and faith.”
Human-rights groups and refugee organisations immediately condemned the move as racially motivated and in violation of America’s humanitarian commitments.
“This decision weaponises refugee policy for political theatre,” said Nadia El-Hassan of Refugee Rights Watch. “It abandons families fleeing war and repression, while extending preferential treatment based on race.”
According to the State Department’s notice in the Federal Register, the 7,500-person limit “is justified by humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest.” Critics, however, argue that it effectively dismantles a programme that once served as a global lifeline for displaced people.
Under Biden, more than 110,000 refugees were admitted in 2024, including large numbers from Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan, and Myanmar. Under the new quota, those numbers will shrink dramatically, with preference given to a single nationality group.
Trump administration officials claim that white South Africans face rising violence and “economic marginalisation” through land reform and employment equity policies.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa sharply rejected those claims, calling them “a distortion of reality” and “an insult to our democracy.”
“To suggest that white South Africans are persecuted is false and divisive,” Ramaphosa said. “It undermines decades of effort to build a multiracial democracy.”
Refugee advocates say the move will erode the US credibility as a defender of human rights. Several European allies reportedly expressed quiet concern, while South African commentators called the policy “neo-colonial and racially coded.”
Immigration attorneys in the US are also questioning whether prioritising one racial group violates the Refugee Act of 1980, which prohibits discrimination based on race, religion, or national origin. Legal challenges are expected.
The administration’s refugee cap follows other restrictions on immigration, including the suspension of the Diversity Visa Lottery and new screening rules for asylum seekers. Together, the measures mark one of the most restrictive refugee regimes in modern US history.
Despite the outcry, senior officials say the administration is “standing firm.” “America will take care of its own,” Trump said at the White House. “We will help people who share our values — not those who want to change them.”
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USA / TEENAGE MIGRANTS
US government offers cash incentives to migrant teenagers to leave the country
October 2025: In a move that has reignited controversy over US immigration policy, the Trump administration is offering a one-time $2,500 payment to unaccompanied migrant teenagers, aged 14 and older, who agree to voluntarily return to their countries of origin. The initiative, outlined in a memo from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement, is framed as a ‘resettlement support’ measure. Still, critics argue it amounts to coercion under economic duress.
Government officials describe the programme as a compassionate alternative to detention or forced deportation. A spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enforcement stated, “This is a strictly voluntary option to return home to their families. It provides dignity and choice.” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin emphasised that the stipend is part of a broader effort to streamline deportation operations while respecting individual agency: “We’re offering support, not punishment. These teens deserve a safe path home.”
Immigrant rights advocates and legal experts have condemned the programme as exploitative. “Children in these situations often don’t understand the legal process and may be swayed by their need for money,” warned immigration attorney Carla Jiménez. “This is not informed consent, it’s economic coercion.”
The American Immigration Council called the stipend “a cynical ploy to reduce asylum claims without addressing root causes.” Critics also point out that many of these teens fled violence, poverty, or persecution, and returning could place them in danger.
Reactions among migrant teens have been mixed. In a shelter in Arizona, 16-year-old Bryan from Honduras said, “I miss my mother, and $2,500 is a lot. But I came here because gangs threatened me. I don’t know what to do.” Meanwhile, 15-year-old Lucía from Guatemala expressed confusion: “They said I could go home with money, but I don’t have a home anymore.”
Shelter staff report increased anxiety and uncertainty among youth. “Some kids see it as hope, others as pressure,” said a caseworker in Texas. “They’re asking if this means they’re being kicked out.”
The programme is likely to face legal challenges, especially around due process and the rights of minors. Immigration lawyers are preparing to contest the policy on grounds that it undermines asylum protections and violates child welfare standards.
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