Nominated Member of Parliament Sulekha Hulbale Harun has delivered a fiery rebuttal to former US President Donald Trump, asserting that Somalis have been the backbone of Minnesota’s growth and numerous American cities, declaring boldly that the United States thrives on their resilience and will crumble without them.
In a passionate statement, Sulekha Harun, a vocal advocate for Somali-Kenyan rights, refused to cower under Trump’s recent inflammatory remarks targeting Somali immigrants, insisting her community stands unbowed and indispensable.
Trump’s comments, made during a rally in Minnesota last weekend, reignited old tensions by labelling Somali refugees as “invaders” who strain resources and erode American identity. The remarks drew swift backlash from civil rights groups, but Harun’s response cut deeper, framing it as an erasure of Somali labour and innovation that has quietly fuelled US prosperity for decades.
“Somalis are the ones who have built Minnesota and many other cities in the US. The US is surviving because of Somalis who will not be intimidated. There is no United States without the Somalis,” she said, her words echoing across diaspora networks from Minneapolis to Mogadishu.
Harun, appointed to Kenya’s National Assembly in 2022 as one of the voices representing marginalised communities, has long championed the estimated 200,000 Somalis in Minnesota, the largest such enclave outside Somalia. Drawing from her own family’s migration story fleeing civil war in the 1990s, she highlighted how Somali entrepreneurs have transformed urban landscapes.
From owning over 700 businesses in the Twin Cities to dominating the taxi and logistics sectors in Columbus and Seattle, Somalis contribute an estimated $1.2 billion annually to Minnesota’s economy alone, according to a 2024 University of Minnesota study.
“We didn’t come empty-handed. We brought grit, rebuilt neighbourhoods, and created jobs where others saw ruins,” Harun told reporters in Nairobi’s Little Mogadishu district, where Somali shops bustle with halal groceries and money transfer hubs.
Minneapolis City Councillor Jamal Osman, himself Somali-American, reacted to Harun’s message with a video montage of Somali-owned ventures, from coffee roasters to tech startups.
“Auntie Sulekha said it best. Our tax dollars, our sweat, and our stories hold this nation together,” he captioned. Back in Kenya, youth groups in Eastleigh organised a solidarity walk, waving US and Somali flags while chanting against xenophobia.
Trump’s rhetoric, critics argue, ignores concrete data. The Migration Policy Institute reports that Somali immigrants boast a 65 percent employment rate in Minnesota, higher than the state average, and their remittances, totalling $1.4 billion a year, bolster economies in East Africa, including Kenya.
Harun pointed to icons like Ilhan Omar, the first Somali-American congresswoman, as proof of integration’s success. “Intimidation tactics won’t erase our footprint. We’ve weathered worse than words from a man chasing headlines,” she added, referencing Trump’s past travel ban on Muslim-majority nations that included Somalia.
In Washington, Somali-American leaders are pushing for congressional hearings on immigrant contributions, with Minnesota Senator Tina Smith voicing support for Harun’s stance.
“Diversity isn’t a burden; it’s our strength. Somalis exemplify that,” Smith posted. Meanwhile, Kenyan Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei praised Harun’s diplomacy, noting it strengthens bilateral ties as the US eyes renewed partnerships in the Horn of Africa.
As winter bites in Minnesota, where Somali families huddle in community centres and share stories of perseverance, Harun’s words serve as a rallying cry. Somalis, from driving school buses in Ohio to coding apps in Atlanta, unapologetically claim their place in America. Trump’s barbs may sting, but as Harun asserts, without them, the stars and stripes would dim. For a community that fled famine and war to forge new lives, intimidation is just another storm to outlast.
