About

Minnesota Was Promised to the Somalis or Minnesota Is the Somalian Promised Land refers to memes claiming that Minnesota was promised to the Somali people 3,000 years ago and that it is their land, parodying the talking points of Israelis in regards to Israel, specifically relating to the Hamas-Israel conflict.

The memes were popularized on sites including X / Twitter and TikTok in late November through December 2025 in response to escalating moves by the Trump administration to crack down on the Somali immigrant population and community in Minnesota. This includes attempts by the Trump administration to end Somali immigrants' Temporary Protected Status and the deployment of additional Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minnesota to crack down on illegal Somali immigrants in relation to a fraud scheme in the state that purportedly involved "dozens" of Somali immigrants. In some memes, people who refuse to accept that Minnesota is the Somali promised land are called "anticushites."

Origin

Reference From Judaism

The belief that God promised the Jewish people the land that now comprises the state of Israel as their "promised land" is a foundational belief in Judaism. ^[1]

Crackdown On Somali Community In Minnesota

In late November and early December 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump's administration began cracking down on Somali immigration in Minnesota. The justification for these crackdowns, which include an increased ICE presence in the state,^[2] relates to several alleged cases of fraud that involved some Somali and East African immigrants. These include the Feeding Our Future fraud, where between $250 million and $300 million in federal child‑nutrition funds were reportedly stolen, and instances of fraud relating to autism therapy billing, housing stabilization and disability services.^[3]

As part of the efforts by the Trump administration to crack down on Somali immigrants in the state, President Trump claimed that he would end Temporary Protected Status for Somalians in Minnesota, posting on Truth Social in November, "Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State, and BILLIONS of Dollars are missing."^[4]

The framing of this situation as being due to "Somali gang" operations and immigration has been criticized as disingenuous and incorrect by some.^[5]

Minnesota Was Promised to the Somalis 3,000 Years Ago

In retaliation to the Trump administration's crackdown on the Somali community in Minnesota, people online, including Somalians, began posting memes claiming that Minnesota was promised to the Somalians 3,000 years ago as their "promised land." These memes echo the justifications used by Israelis to defend and lay claim to Israel.^[1]

One of the earliest known examples of this meme was posted by X^[6] user @RealAbyan on November 29th, 2025, sharing a video edit promoting Minnesota and writing, "Minnesota was promised to Somali’s 3000 years ago," garnering over 1,100 likes in five days.

Spread

The memes about Minnesota being promised to the Somali people continued to spread over the following days in late November and early December 2025 on both X / Twitter and TikTok.

On November 30th, 2025, X^[7] user @aaboom16 posted, "The Somali declaration indicates that Minnesota was promised to us 3000 years ago," garnering over 6,500 likes in four days.

On December 1st, X^[8] user @AshaariML posted a fake excerpt from the Bible, Genesis 12:3, about Somalians, writing, "Those who bless Somalia will be blessed and those who curse Somalia will be cursed," garnering over 2,500 likes in three days.

On December 2nd, X^[9] user @ajplus posted a video about the memes and the controversy surrounding Minnesota's Somali community, garnering over 10,000 likes in two days.

That day, TikToker^[10] @him.za11 posted a video spreading the Minnesota was promised to the Somalis meme, garnering over 250,000 views in two days. In the video, he calls it "anticushitism" to deny the Somali people their "promised land."

On December 3rd, 2025, TikToker^[11] @whiteclawsocialist posted a similar video explaining how Somalians have a right to Minnesota, garnering over 230,000 views in a day.

Later that day, X^[12] user @SonOfSomali posted an image of a Black man with sidelocks, which are associated with Jewish men, captioned, "My cousin in Somalia 🇸🇴 is headed to Minnesota, his birthright trip to the promised lands," garnering over 36,000 likes in a day.

Also on December 3rd, 2025, X^[13] user @Nabadwanag posted an edit of TikToker @him.za11 wearing an indigenous American headdress, writing, "A native American Somali man who's ancestors and tribes dwelled the land of Minnesota for centuries .🪶 Fun fact traditional dishes like banana and rice were served in thanksgiving back in those days also," garnering over 5,600 likes in a day.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References