{"id":79499,"date":"2026-02-25T15:41:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T23:41:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=79499"},"modified":"2026-02-25T15:41:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T23:41:10","slug":"trump-repeats-baseless-claims-of-somali-pirates-pillaging-minnesota-but-remains-silent-on-ice-killings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=79499","title":{"rendered":"Trump Repeats Baseless Claims of  \u2018Somali Pirates\u2019 Pillaging Minnesota, But Remains Silent on ICE Killings"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_65 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_65\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span><a class=\"tdb-author-name\" href=\"https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/author\/sunita\/\">Sunita Sohrabji<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_66 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_66\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><i class=\"tdb-date-icon tdc-font-fa tdc-font-fa-calendar\"><\/i><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-02-25T07:58:34-08:00\">Feb 25, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_67 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_67\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>President Donald Trump took hard aim at immigrants, especially Somali Americans in Minnesota, in his Feb. 24 State of the Union address.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_68 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_68\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"entry-thumb td-animation-stack-type0-2\" title=\"SOTU\" src=\"https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_0601-e1772010646212.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"798\" \/><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">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)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_69 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_69\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen it comes to the corruption that is plundering America, there\u2019s been no more stunning example than Minnesota. Members of the Somali community there have pillaged an estimated $19 billion from the American taxpayer,\u201d alleged Trump. \u201cWe have all the information.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe 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,\u201d said the President, as Omar shouted out: \u201cLiar.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" class=\"\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=AmCommMedia&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=2026520385810837634&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Famericancommunitymedia.org%2Fimmigration%2Fsomali-pirates-are-pillaging-minnesota-claims-trump-in-state-of-the-union-address%2F&amp;sessionId=7dcd34e03dab85282c008133ecd270954a55b27e&amp;siteScreenName=AmCommMedia&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"2026520385810837634\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"h-war-on-fraud\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2018War on Fraud\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cImporting 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,\u201d said Trump. He announced \u201cthe war on fraud,\u201d to be led by Vice President JD Vance, and aimed at rooting out alleged fraud by immigrants in California, Massachusetts, and Maine.<\/p>\n<p>Omar invited special guest\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.blumenthal.senate.gov\/imo\/media\/doc\/2026-2-3_aliya_rahman_statement.pdf\">Aliya Rahman<\/a>, 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\u2019s shoulders were torn in the incident.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-arrests\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Arrests<\/h2>\n<p>At the State of the Union, Rahman was arrested for standing up during Trump\u2019s diatribe on \u201cSomali pirates.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n<p>However, Capitol police told the Minnesota Reformer: \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rep.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/oped\/congressman-al-green-has-always-fought-for-the-dignity-of-the-people\/\">Al Green, D-Texas<\/a>\u00a0was also arrested during Trump\u2019s State of the Union address, for allegedly being disruptive.<\/p>\n<p>The President exhorted his audience. \u201cIf 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump chided members of Congress who did not stand. But he made no mention of the killing of two U.S. citizens,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/immigration\/as-immigration-enforcement-escalates-popular-resistance-is-growing\/\">Alex Pretti<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/immigration\/renee-nicole-good-another-death-at-the-hands-of-ice\/\">Ren\u00e9e Nicole Good<\/a>, by ICE agents during Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDonald Trump killed two of my constituents. He is a liar and should be ashamed of himself,\u201d posted Omar to X.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-ice-enforcement\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">ICE Enforcement<\/h2>\n<p>Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, delivered the Spanish language response to Trump\u2019s speech. He noted that 40 people have died in ICE custody.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe 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,\u201d said Padilla.<\/p>\n<p>Polling shows a majority of Americans\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/trump-administration\/poll-trumps-ratings-immigration-tumble-americans-lose-confidence-top-i-rcna258159\">disapprove<\/a>\u00a0of Trump\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger also chided Trump for his harsh immigration enforcement tactics. \u201cOur 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey 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,\u201d said Spanberger, delivering the Democratic rebuttal.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-convicts\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Convicts<\/h2>\n<p>The President lambasted the former Biden Administration for its alleged \u201copen borders\u201d policy. \u201cThey poured in by the millions and millions from prisons, from mental institutions. There were murderers, 11,888 murderers. You allowed that to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But in 2024, only 1% of people stopped at the border had any criminal convictions according to data from\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/usafacts.org\/answers\/how-many-people-apprehended-at-us-borders-have-a-prior-criminal-conviction\/country\/united-states\/\">Customs and Border Patrol.<\/a>\u00a0Additional CBP data indicate arrests at the border dropped during Trump\u2019s 1st term, and rose again during the Biden Administration.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-delilah-s-law\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Delilah\u2019s Law<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Delilah-coleman.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-45958 td-animation-stack-type0-2\" src=\"https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Delilah-coleman-1024x683.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Delilah-coleman-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Delilah-coleman-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Delilah-coleman-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Delilah-coleman-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Delilah-coleman-696x464.jpg 696w, https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Delilah-coleman-1068x712.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Delilah-coleman.jpg 1200w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Delilah Coleman with her father Marcus at the 2026 State of the Union address. (Screen grab)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In his State of the Union speech, Trump announced \u201cDelilah\u2019s law,\u201d 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\u2019s car. Delilah\u2019s law would bar any state from issuing a commercial driver\u2019s license to an undocumented resident.<\/p>\n<p>Punjabis make up almost 20% of the nation\u2019s trucking work force and 40% of California truck drivers, according to data from the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gonapta.org\/\">North American Punjabi Trucking Association<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.niskanencenter.org\/dot-trucking-crackdown-immigration\/\">The Niskanen Center<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n<p>Trump also called for passage of what he dubbed the \u201cSave America Act,\u201d requiring proof of citizenship and voter ID for federal elections.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-sanctuary-cities\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sanctuary Cities<\/h2>\n<p>He chided lawmakers representing sanctuary cities. \u201cYou should be ashamed of yourselves. I\u2019m 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,\u201d Trump claimed.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s 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: \u201cRelease the Epstein Files.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>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\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/trumprx.gov\/\">Trump RX<\/a>; and stopping Iran from building a nuclear weapons arsenal.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-iran\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Iran<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThey 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,\u201d said Trump. \u201cThey are at this moment again pursuing their sinister ambitions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are in negotiations with them. They want to make a deal, but we haven\u2019t heard those secret words: we will never have a nuclear weapon,\u201d said Trump. He stated his preference for a diplomatic solution.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne thing is certain, I will never allow the world\u2019s number one sponsor of terror, which they are by far, to have a nuclear weapon,\u201d said the President, hinting at possible escalation with Iran, as he has threatened previously.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_0609.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-45963 td-animation-stack-type0-2\" src=\"https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_0609-910x1024.jpeg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 910px) 100vw, 910px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_0609-910x1024.jpeg 910w, https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_0609-266x300.jpeg 266w, https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_0609-768x865.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_0609-150x169.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_0609-300x338.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_0609-696x784.jpeg 696w, https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_0609-1068x1202.jpeg 1068w, https:\/\/americancommunitymedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_0609.jpeg 1200w\" alt=\"\" width=\"910\" height=\"1024\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">First Lady Melania Trump pins the Congressional Medal of Honor on 100-year-old veteran E. Royce Williams. (Screen grab)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>In a lighter moment, Trump honored 100-year-old veteran E. Royce Williams\u00a0the 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BySunita Sohrabji Feb 25, 2026 President&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-u-s-a","category-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=79499"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79499\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79500,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79499\/revisions\/79500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=79499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=79499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=79499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}