Minneapolis Mayor defends Somali community amid upcoming immigration enforcement operation

New York Post

4 weeks ago

Transcript

00:00We are here to respond to a number of credible reports from several media outlets

00:06relaying that there are as many as 100 federal agents that will be deployed to the Twin Cities

00:14with a specific focus on targeting our Somali community.

00:19To our Somali community, we love you and we stand with you.

00:24That commitment is rock solid.

00:26Minneapolis is proud to be home to the largest Somali community in the entire country.

00:33They've been here for decades, in many instances.

00:37They're entrepreneurs and fathers.

00:40They benefit both the culture and the economic resilience of our city.

00:46Targeting Somali people means that due process will be violated.

00:52Mistakes will be made.

00:53And let's be clear, it means that American citizens will be detained for no other reason

01:00than the fact that they look like they are Somali.

01:03That is not now and will never be a legitimate reason.

01:08For decades, the Somali community has added greatly to our city.

01:14The economic fabric, their hard work, their leadership, it has made Minneapolis a better place.

01:20We are not given advance notice or inside information about these kinds of operations.

01:27But here's what we can promise.

01:29We will not compromise our values here in Minneapolis.

01:34Our values and our commitment to the Somali community, to every community of immigrants and people in our city,

01:42is rock solid and will be unwavering.

01:46Our police, many of whom are Somali themselves, are trusted partners in keeping people safe.

01:53They will not collaborate with any federal agency around doing immigration enforcement work.

01:59Our city staff and our law enforcement will not ask the question as to whether an individual is documented or not.

02:09And by the way, there are more than 80,000 Somali people living in Minnesota.

02:17Almost all of them are both documented and citizens.

02:21And the city has worked with community partners who have compiled Know Your Rights information.

02:28And so here's what we know.

02:29You have the right to remain silent and you have the right to a lawyer.

02:34You can refuse to sign documents until that lawyer is present.

02:38You have the right to not open the door unless a warrant has been shown.

02:42The city of Minneapolis provides free immigration legal resources.

02:48And if you or a family member or a loved one needs access to a lawyer, go to our website or call 311.

02:57And we're going to work with our partners, partners like the city of St. Paul, partners like the state of Minnesota,

03:05to do everything to support our neighbors and to coordinate on any incident that happens.

03:09Obviously, this is a frightening moment for our Somali community.

03:14There have been many frightening moments over the last several months to our immigrant communities in Minneapolis.

03:22In Minneapolis, our diversity is diverse.

03:27People come from a thousand different backgrounds, mentalities, and perspectives with one beautiful thing in common.

03:34They love our city and they're proud to call it home.

03:37And we're going to stand with them every step of the way.

03:41But we need to also be demanding better from an administration who is intent on targeting people and committing so much time, energy, and money

03:49to terrorizing certain groups within our community.

03:54That's not American.

03:56That's not what we are about.

03:59And we're going to do right by every single person in our cities.

04:02And we're going to do right by every single person in our cities.

Minneapolis Mayor defends Somali community amid upcoming immigration enforcement operation

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