Minnesota Somalis deserve fairness
Somalia is one of those countries that simply cannot take a break. Perched on a bend of land known as the Horn of Africa jutting into the Indian Ocean, it is a semi-desert land that has very few natural resources above or below ground, so poverty has long been widespread.
On top of that, Somalis have for decades faced everything from recurring civil wars to frequent droughts that create horrific famines to an Islamic extremist organization called Al Shabaab whose terrorist attacks have not only inflicted death and destruction but also destabilized a series of governments in the capital Mogadishu.
Somali refugees in the United States have not escaped this epidemic of bad luck. Most of them came from Minnesota – a very different climate from their equatorial home, but a state with a great tradition of tolerance toward newcomers.
Overall, they did well there, raising families, starting careers, launching businesses, and contributing to their communities. They even elected one of their own, Ilhan Omar, to Congress. OK, a lot of people are extremely critical of her. Like it or not, however, his story is a classic immigrant success story.
But today, despite all their success, bad luck has caught up with the Somalis of Minnesota. They are accused en masse of orchestrating a multi-billion dollar fraud of federal funds.
Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked them in vicious and racist language, banned all new immigration from Somalia, and ended existing legal protections for Somali nationals in the United States. Masked ICE agents roam the streets of Minneapolis and invade schools, courthouses and even homes to handcuff them, whether they are here legally or not.
However, as happens so often in human history, constant hardship produces resilient people. And that’s the word for the Somalis. Just ask the British, who, alongside the Italians, colonized the Horn of Africa until its independence in 1960. The British found the Somalis they ruled so stubborn and fiery that they nicknamed them “the Irish of Africa.” It was both a complaint and a compliment.
I say all this with great emotion, because Somalia has played an important role in my life. I was a member of the first Peace Corps draft sent to the newly independent nation in 1962. I met, fell in love, and married a fellow volunteer, and we were married in the northern city of Hargeisa by a Somali official under Somali civil law.
The only vow Marsa and I took under this rather unusual law was that neither of us would remarry without first divorcing the other. I like to brag that we have both kept this vow for 63 years and counting.
As for the Minnesota fraud charges, no one has been tried, let alone convicted, so it’s unclear how many Somalis were involved and how much money was stolen. Those found guilty deserve prison and then, of course, deportation.
But please, Trump & Co. shouldn’t go crazy over this. Every national immigrant group that has arrived in this country has produced its share of criminals. We do not punish or expel every member of the group for the crimes of a few. If we did, the only ones left would be the Native Americans.
The Somali people have suffered more than their share of difficult times. Of course, this does not entitle them to special privileges and they do not ask for them. All they want is equal opportunity and fair treatment under the law. The Trump administration must not give them less.
Laird is a former managing editor and opinion page editor of the Daily News.
