Typically a bustling hub of commerce, culture and community, Karmel Mall — a popular shopping center for Somali Americans in Minneapolis — now sits largely deserted, its hallways mostly silent and storefronts shuttered.
The sudden emptiness follows a wave of provocative remarks by US President Donald Trump and newly-confirmed ICE operations targeting Somali immigrants in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area.
“ICE is here, they are going door to door, they are stopping folks on the streets, and they’re not just targeting undocumented — they’re targeting every Somali person,” said Jamal Osman, a Minneapolis city councilman and representative of the local Somali community. “It feels like a war zone… people are afraid to get out of their houses.”
Small business owners at Karmel Mall say the issue has already reached a severe level.
“Nobody’s here, it is deserted,” said Bahja Ali, owner of Bilan Cafe on Karmel Mall’s top floor. “I don’t know what’s going to happen…the future doesn’t look bright.”
Similarly, Amin’s Restaurant owner Mohamad Amin Sharif said the community is hiding in their homes, shops remain closed, and foot traffic has dried up.
“It feels irresponsible of him,” he said, referring to Trump. “That’s no way to run a country, no way to be the leader of the free world.”
The upheaval comes after Trump dismissed Somali immigrants as “garbage” during a recent White House cabinet meeting and ordered the immediate termination of their temporary protections — a move affecting hundreds of Minnesotans.
He accused the community of fraud and claimed they contribute nothing to the country.
“I’m going to push back,” said Osman. “I’m going to continue to tell our president, ‘sir, stop dividing Americans, stop putting them versus us, us versus them.’”
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