Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ignited a political firestorm last night after slamming Donald Trump for resurrecting some of his harshest language about Somali immigrants, comments that resurfaced across Minnesota following renewed scrutiny of remarks documented during a 2020 campaign stop where Trump called refugee resettlement in the state a “disaster.” AOC’s post, emotional and unfiltered, accused Trump of weaponizing fear and dehumanizing immigrant families at a moment when community anxiety is already running high.
Her reaction came hours after clips circulated online of Trump repeating criticisms of Minnesota’s refugee program — messaging that echoes lines highlighted inside a Minnesota Public Radio report detailing how Somali Americans felt directly targeted by Trump’s past remarks. AOC framed the renewed rhetoric as not only xenophobic but inherently destabilizing, warning that such language has a “violent effect” on communities who have historically faced discrimination.
AOC is right. Somali families in Minnesota are exhausted from being political props every election cycle. They want safety, not insults. — L. Abera (@AberaVoices) Dec 10, 2025
Community leaders say the tension has escalated sharply whenever Trump invokes immigration in Minnesota, citing moments captured through a Vox deep dive on rising fear among Somali Americans. That fear resurfaced again this week as Trump’s comments spread across social feeds, prompting renewed calls from civil-rights groups urging political figures to condemn rhetoric they described as inflammatory.
AOC’s post accused Trump of “dehumanizing” immigrant families, pointing to federal data showing migrants overwhelmingly contribute to the communities they join — data summarized in a Brookings analysis of refugee economic impact. She argued that portraying Somalis as a threat undermines the lived reality of thousands of Minnesota families who built businesses, raised children, and revitalized neighborhoods across the Twin Cities.
Trump keeps using Minnesota’s Somali community as a political punching bag. It’s cruel and it’s dangerous. — A. Isse (@IssePolicyWatch) Dec 10, 2025
Republican strategists dismissed AOC’s criticism, arguing that Trump has long taken aim at refugee policies rather than individuals. But Somali Americans contend that distinction is meaningless when rhetoric sparks harassment, a connection documented in a Guardian profile of backlash faced by Somali public figures. The fear extends beyond politics: mosque leaders in Minneapolis say threats increase whenever Trump’s past remarks regain national attention.
AOC’s remarks also tapped into a broader Democratic effort to counter Trump’s aggressive immigration messaging, especially after he doubled down on mass-deportation pledges described in a Reuters overview of his proposed enforcement agenda. Activists warn that when Trump frames immigration as a national emergency, communities of color — especially Black Muslim immigrants — feel the impact first.
This isn’t theoretical. When Trump talks like this, threats go up. History shows it — every single time. — Dr. Meron Ali (@MeronAliResearch) Dec 10, 2025
The political stakes are particularly high in Minnesota, where Somali Americans make up one of the most active immigrant voting blocs in the country. Their concerns played a major role in turnout patterns during the midterms, a trend analyzed inside a Pew survey of voter engagement. AOC’s comments appear designed to rally Democrats around the idea that Trump’s rhetoric is not only divisive, but electorally costly in states where immigrant communities hold growing influence.
Meanwhile, conservative commentators pushed back by framing AOC’s post as exaggerated, though they offered little evidence to contradict the well-documented distress within the Somali community. Analysts say this clash — Trump’s rhetoric vs. lived community experience — is destined to become a defining issue of the next election cycle, particularly as immigration rhetoric rises and fear intensifies on the ground.
Minnesota Somalis don’t need politicians telling them not to worry. They’ve lived the consequences of this rhetoric for years. — S. Osman (@OsmanCommunity) Dec 10, 2025
For AOC, the message was unmistakable: political language has real-world consequences, especially when aimed at vulnerable groups. And for Somali Americans in Minnesota, Trump’s renewed rhetoric felt less like campaign bluster and more like a warning that their community remains a political target.
