Former President Donald Trump’s adviser, Stephen Miller, unleashed a fiery response on Fox News Tuesday to Vice President Kamala Harris’ rally in Philadelphia with her new running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Miller’s comments suggested that the duo’s policies would transform America into a scenario reminiscent of Somalia’s capital city.
“He is the biggest booster in the whole country for unlimited refugee resettlement,” fumed Miller, known for his hardline stance on immigration and his role in the Trump administration’s controversial anti-migrant policies. Miller, who now leads a legal group suing over government policies aimed at promoting racial equity, continued his tirade: “That means under the Harris/Walz plan, they’re going to turn the entire Midwest into Mogadishu.
That’s their plan. That’s their policy. I don’t think there’s a market for that in the United States of America.” Minnesota is home to one of the largest Somali communities in the United States, including numerous refugees and their descendants from the war-torn African country. Among these refugees is Rep. Ilhan Omar, one of the first Muslim women elected to the House of Representatives.
This community has frequently been the target of Islamophobic and xenophobic conspiracy theories on the right, including recent baseless claims that the redesign of Minnesota’s state flag was a covert attempt to make it resemble the flag of Somalia. In reality, the two flags share little more than a blue background and a white star.
Miller’s comments reflect the broader conservative backlash against refugee resettlement and immigrant communities. His remarks come at a time when he has also made headlines for requesting that his group be removed as official advisers to Project 2025. This Heritage Foundation initiative aims for a radical restructuring of the federal government to increase the power of Republican executives and diminish the civil service, a proposal that has faced growing opposition among voters.
The Harris-Walz ticket has drawn sharp criticism from the right, with figures like Miller amplifying fears about their policies. Miller’s claims about transforming the Midwest into Mogadishu play into a narrative designed to stoke fear and opposition among conservative voters. As the election season progresses, these inflammatory statements are likely to continue shaping the discourse around immigration and refugee policies in America.