Trump Says Minnesota Has 'Tremendous Problems'
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Donald Trump pointed to Minnesota as an example of what's wrong with immigration reform.
The Republican presidential candidate and his running mate were scheduled to attend rallies in Wisconsin on Friday.
While speaking in Maine yesterday, Trump said Minnesota is having "tremendous problems."
He cited a 2015 Washington Times article that said Somali immigrants stressed the "state's safety net" and created a pool for terror recruitment.
Trump said to prevent attacks like those in Europe, the United States needs to be smarter about immigration.
"It's happening. It's happening. You see it happening. You read about it. You see it and you can be smart and you can be cunning or tough or you can be very, very dumb and not see going to see what's going on, folks."
(Relevant portion begins roughly 16 minutes in.)
The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called Trump's comments a form of Islamophobia. It said, "While there is a challenging issue with disparities which is evident here in Minnesota, I think the overwhelming picture shows that there is tremendous positive coming from [the Somali] community."
"Somali and Latino immigrants have had a huge impact on the economy and the state," CAIR told WCCO. "I have revived important corridors in Minneapolis. This community is actually a major and important part of the growing economy of the state of Minnesota. Without them, we'd be having a decline in population and a decline in economic growth."
Trump will be in Minnesota later this month for a campaign fundraising event.
