How has the Somali community shaped the workforce in Minnesota?

The Feeding Our Future fraud case made national headlines and spurred a surge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to Minnesota.

Prosecutors say fraudsters lied, taking at least $250 million, but feeding very few kids.

A jury convicted Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock in the pandemic fraud scheme. Many of the others charged or convicted were Somali, which prompted a sharp response from President Trump. 

"I don't want them in our country. Some say that's not politically correct. I don't care," Mr. Trump said.

In Minnesota, the American and Somali flags go hand in hand. So do the stories. 

Dr. Mohamed M. Ali was born in Somalia. He now runs a dental practice in south Minneapolis. WCCO spoke with him when he opened the practice.

"A lot of our patients, they see us not as Somali but as dentists, regardless of where we come from," Ali said.

Mariam Mohamed is the owner of a million-dollar company that makes Somali pasties called sambusas. The company is called HOYO. 

"My dream is to hire more people, and the more that we do that, and the more people we hire, the more we are contributing to the lives of people and that's my dream," Mohamed said.

Sabrin Kahlif finished high school and the first half of college at the same time.

"You've always been eyes on the prize, and what is the prize?" WCCO asked Kahlif.

"The prize is to become a doctor and actually go back to Somalia to help my community," he said.

A community that has been the focus of a large immigration crackdown. A community that has over 108,000 people in Minnesota, just about 2% of the state's population.

"About 44% of those children are under 17, which is an interesting statistic. A younger population," Bruce Corrie, an economist who studies local immigrant populations, said.

WCCO asked Corrie what the group's contribution has been to the workforce. 

"Somalis are concentrated in certain sectors. Healthcare, transportation, retail. They are also very entrepreneurial, and as we go to places like the Karmel Mall, you see so many entrepreneurs and some own multiple businesses," he said.

Corrie added that in three generations in Minnesota, there's a rising number of professionals. And they spend $1 billion a year.

"They are contributing, they continue to contribute — alignment with the American dream," he said.