Social media has been in an uproar since Thursday after a video surfaced on TikTok showing a Somali woman declaring that Minnesota Somalis are “here to stay” and that white people would have to accept that. While she emphasized that she mainly wanted white people to stop showing animosity towards Somalis, many viewers reacted angrily to her remarks, with some even telling her to leave the country.
The woman, who goes by @naima.qurux143 on TikTok, reportedly filmed the video while standing at Terminal 1 of Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport. She claimed the atmosphere had changed since her last visit to Minnesota and said she could feel discomfort from white people around her.
“I swear to you guys, the white people here are so uncomfortable,” she said. “I don’t know why they’re so uncomfortable to Somali people, considering that we were living with white people for a very, very long time.”
The woman appeared to suggest in the caption of her video that the tension she described came after recent ICE operations in Minnesota. She revealed that she had recently returned from Africa, which she referred to as home, and said the change in the mood was immediately noticeable.
She then ended her video with a message for both Somalis and white Americans. “I just want to tell everyone one thing is that we’re here to stay. We’re not leaving, and y’all better get used to it,” she said. “So Somalis, get used to that tension, and white Americans, get used to Somalis.”
Public Reactions to the Somali Woman’s Video
The reaction to the woman’s video has been overwhelmingly critical from both the white and Somali communities.
Some conservatives slammed her for referring to Africa as her home and said she needed to leave the U.S. “She was back ‘home’ in Africa? If that’s her home why come here?” one person asked. Another said, “NOBODY ASKED YOU TO COME HERE, SO GO BACK TO SOMALIA.” A third commented, “Get the [expletive] out of this country. Nobody wants you here. You are a drain on society.” A fourth added, “I can’t wait for ICE to deport her. It will happen one day but it will take some time.”
Some of the criticism also extended to other Somalis living in the U.S. “I want EVERYTHING taken from these people and for them to be shipped back to the 3rd world where they belong,” one comment read. Another remarked, “Make it as uncomfortable for them as possible. This is OUR home. Since they want to use and abuse it, they have to leave.” Someone else wrote, “You all need to go back to Somali and get away from the white people that make you uncomfortable.”
Some Somali commenters distanced themselves from the woman’s message, with one saying, “We have no issues with white people sis.” Another wrote, “There is nothing! We work at the airport, and everything is good as usual. Stop it!!” A third added, “As a Somali Minnesotan, I think we can do better than calling people out at the airport. Let’s focus on building bridges, not walls.”
In the caption accompanying her video, the woman encouraged people not to let disagreements over immigration lead to hatred or division. She also asked people to pray for Minnesota and continue supporting one another through difficult times.
