Somali immigrants react to Trump comments, ICE raids
ICE operations are targeting Somali immigrants in the Twin Cities just days after President Donald Trump described Somalis as “garbage.”
A Cinnabon employee in Wisconsin has been fired, according to the company, after video showed her making racist comments to customers.
Sabrina Osman, the person who posted the video to Tik Tok on Dec. 5, said in a GoFundMe campaign that her cousin, Farhia Ahmed, and her brother-in-law were shopping at the Bay Park Mall in Ashwaubenon, just south of Green Bay, when they decided to stop at the cinnamon roll stand.
“As soon as they approached the counter, they could tell the atmosphere was not welcoming at all because of the worker’s facial expression and attitude,” Osman wrote.
When the pair asked for more caramel on a cinnamon pecan roll, the employee allegedly made an insulting remark at Ahmed’s hijab, after which Ahmed began filming, Osman said on the GoFundMe page. She noted that the couple are Black Somali Muslim.
The video, reviewed by USA TODAY, shows the woman saying, “I am a racist,” using the N-word and showing the camera two middle fingers. “I am racist and I’ll say that to the whole entire world,” the employee is heard saying.
Osman said Ahmed “has been traumatized, anxious, and scared to go outside since this happened.”
Cinnabon commented on the video, calling it “disturbing,” and said the employee had been “immediately terminated” by the franchise owner.
“Their actions and statements are completely unacceptable and in no way reflect the values of Cinnabon, our franchisees, or the welcoming environment we expect for every guest and team member,” Cinnabon said in a statement sent to USA TODAY on Dec. 8.
Incident comes as Trump bashes Somali immigrants
The incident comes amid a wave of anti-Somali rhetoric emanating from Washington.
During a Dec. 2 cabinet meeting, President Donald Trump called Somali immigrants in Minnesota “garbage,” saying he doesn’t want them in the country.
The comments came after reports that dozens of Somali immigrants had been charged with fraud for allegedly stealing $1 billion from Minnesota programs, such as COVID-19 pandemic relief.
“Somalians ripped off that state for billions of dollars,” Trump said of Somali immigrants. “They contribute nothing.”
The Islamic Society of Milwaukee issued a statement on Dec. 6 saying, “The recent remarks targeting the Somali people and the nation of Somalia are dangerous and dehumanizing.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations issued a news release Dec. 8 that welcomed the firing of the Cinnabon employee.
“The fact that this employee felt comfortable calling a Black couple the n-word on camera is a sign of how acceptable anti-Black and anti-Somali racism has become,” the statement reads. “Our political leaders, including President Trump, must stop fomenting hatred against Americans of Somali descent.”
Trump has threatened to end the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program for Somali refugees in Minnesota, and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has halted all immigration applications from Somalia and 18 other countries in the wake of an attack on two National Guard members in Washington, DC. The shooting suspect is an Afghan national.
Contributing: Bart Jansen, N’dea Yancey-Bragg, Chris Kenning, Corey Schmidt – USA TODAY; Francesca Pica – Green Bay Post Gazette
