Somali gangs are committing assaults and shootings across neighborhoods in Minneapolis, according to multiple reports.
Residents are reportedly barricading themselves in their homes while lawmakers are demanding tougher immigration enforcement.
However, local officials like Ilhan Omar, Gov. Tim Walz and the Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty – are downplaying the scale of the vi*lence.
In fact, Moriarty said, “Let us be very clear: there are no “roving Somali gangs t*rrorizing people.” then goes on to blame President Trump for bringing the reports up publicly.
Despite that, law enforcement insiders and eyewitnesses say criminal networks are exploiting soft on crime policies, and t*rrorizing communities in areas like Little Mogadishu and Dinkytown. (named after Somali regions)
Experts say groups like the Somali Outlaws, Hot Boyz, and Somali Mafia – organized along clan lines from Somalia – have been linked to a spike in drive-by shootings, robberies, and drug trafficking.
Violent crime in Minneapolis (Omar’s district) is 316% higher than the Minnesota state average and 198% higher than the national average.
As for Little Mogadishu – which has 9,400 residents (Somali migrants) it’s had a 56% surge in violent crime.
With its 9,400 residents – it has a violent crime rate that is 319% higher than the Minnesota state average and 140% higher than the national average****
Gang violence incidents include:
Recently a gang of Somalis were arrested for beating a student athlete at a basketball game with tire-irons, then tried to stab him.
November 2025 Dinkytown Shooting: A daytime assault near the University of Minnesota left one injured, part of a string of robberies and thefts in the area.
Police Chief Brian O’Hara initially tied the violence to “East African youth” before issuing a controversial apology to the Somali community, after being pressured by the community.
February 2024 Drive-By in Lino Lakes: A member of the rival “Muddy” gang, aligned with Somali Outlaws, was targeted in a hail of bullets after a mistaken identity mix-up.
The shooter, linked to the YSL gang, pleaded guilty in December to possessing a machine gun used in the attack
Eyewitness Assaults in Little Mogadishu: Independent journalists documented a gang member chasing a reporter with what appeared to be a firearm during a street interview in December, forcing the crew to run.
*** A local bail bondsmen describe the area as a “war zone,” with gangs “taking over” apartment complexes and preying on vulnerable residents.
Rival factions like Somali Outlaws and 1627 Boys have clashed repeatedly, with shootings tied to drug deals and revenge killings. ***
A 2025 FBI investigation revealed these groups are operating out of Minneapolis, extending influence to St. Paul and beyond.
Critics argue this violence stems directly from Governor Tim Walz’s open-door refugee policies, which welcomed thousands more Somalis even as gangs were taking over.
In 2019, Walz lobbied the Trump administration for additional resettlements despite a decade of child sex trafficking busts – including a 2010 federal indictment of 29 Somali gang members for prostituting minors across state lines.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., has alerted the FBI, saying “We’ve got Somali gangs that are causing these problems.”
In November President Trump put an end to Temporary Protected Status for Somalis in Minnesota “effective immediately,” blasting the state as a “hub of fraudulent money laundering” where “Somali gangs are terrorizing the people.”
By early December, ICE deployed over 100 agents to the Twin Cities for targeted sweeps, focusing on deportation orders amid reports of billions in stolen welfare funds funneled back to Somalia – millions going to Al-Shabaab terrorists.
