Ernesto Londoño

Somali immigrants are now wrestling with is, you know, what do you do to prove that you're an American?

Like, to what length do you need to go to truly feel like you belong and that you're part of the fabric of this nation?

We're talking about people in many cases who were born here and have known no other homeland.

Others arrived here decades ago and have long considered themselves patriots who have been helping build the state,

paying taxes, working in really difficult jobs.

So, yeah, I think this really leaves people with unsettling questions about what they need to do to be brought into the fold of this country in this political era.

And just how much further will this crackdown and this cloud of suspicion reach?

What shape could this take in the months ahead?

Absolutely.

You know, we've heard from local elected officials who say they're deeply concerned that the stage is set for widespread civil rights violations.

St.

Paul Mayor Melvin Carter looked back to history.

And he said we should be thinking of this moment as one that may define who we are as Americans and as a nation.

Yeah, it's going to be fascinating to watch how this unfolds in the months ahead.

You know, on the one hand, we're in a moment where

Nobody can turn a blind eye to the fact that fraud is a huge and systemic problem for Minnesota.

There's going to be a governor's election next year.

And Tim Walz, who's a Democrat, could lose that race if the people who are challenging him on the right from the Republican Party succeed in making fraud the defining issue in the race.

I think there's broad agreement that you need systemic change and that you need strong safeguards.

And I think also we're starting to see a reckoning among people in the Somali community about the fact that this is a big problem and has created a significant perception issue that many people are now paying the price for.