From the Minneapolis Star Tribune (paywalled),
Sharp rise in deportation orders for Somalis in Minnesota:
More than 500 Somalis in Minnesota have been ordered deported this year as the Trump administration speeds up asylum hearings and narrows paths to legal protection.
The Star Tribune reports,
More than 1,000 Somali asylum-seekers have been ordered deported since February, reflecting the Trump administration’s continued follow-through on last winter’s federal enforcement action in Minnesota.
More than half the deportation orders involve Somalis living in Minnesota, a nearly tenfold increase from 2025.
Details,
Some have already been deported. Others have been sent to detention centers as far away as Guantánamo Bay, Cuba including at least two from Minnesota.
I’m still puzzling over this sentence,
Few Somali asylum seekers have felony convictions.
Recalling my work on habeas corpus petitions filed in Minnesota, I have identified 10 cases filed since late March that involved Somali noncitizens. Of those, six have reached resolution. Of those six,
- 26-cv-2265: “lengthy criminal history”
- 26-cv-2521: “two felony convictions”
- 26-cv-3475: “DWI arrest”
How many is “few”? What percentage qualifies as “few.” Or are we redefining “asylum”? Or do only “felony” convictions count?
[Note: an earlier version of this post appeared at Power Line.]