# St. Cloud, Minnesota (Somali community)

> St. Cloud, Minnesota's Somali community: Census counts, 2000s arrivals, meat-plant and factory work, council votes, first Somali lawmaker and 2026 pressures.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/diaspora/st-cloud/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

The US Census Bureau's 2020–2024 survey counted 7,659 Somali people in the city of St. Cloud and 9,721 in its metro area ([US Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024, B02025, via Census Reporter](https://api.censusreporter.org/1.0/data/show/acs2024_5yr?table_ids=B02025&geo_ids=16000US2756896,05000US27145,31000US41060)). It is Minnesota's largest Somali community outside the Twin Cities, and it grew mainly from the early 2000s ([Sahan Journal, October 2020](https://sahanjournal.com/changing-the-narrative/farhiya-iman-st-cloud-minnesota-somali-refugees/)).

## How many Somalis live in St. Cloud?

The American Community Survey (ACS) for 2020–2024 counted 7,659 people in St. Cloud who named Somali as a race group, with a margin of error of 1,101 ([ACS 2020–2024, B02025](https://api.censusreporter.org/1.0/data/show/acs2024_5yr?table_ids=B02025&geo_ids=16000US2756896,05000US27145,31000US41060)). Stearns County had 9,051 and the St. Cloud metro area 9,721 ([ACS 2020–2024, B02025](https://api.censusreporter.org/1.0/data/show/acs2024_5yr?table_ids=B02025&geo_ids=16000US2756896,05000US27145,31000US41060)).

Other questions give lower counts. The same survey found 3,560 people of Somali ancestry in the city and 2,305 people born in Somalia ([ACS 2020–2024, B04006](https://api.censusreporter.org/1.0/data/show/acs2024_5yr?table_ids=B04006&geo_ids=16000US2756896,05000US27145,31000US41060); [ACS 2020–2024, B05006](https://api.censusreporter.org/1.0/data/show/acs2024_5yr?table_ids=B05006&geo_ids=16000US2756896,05000US27145,31000US41060)). The gap means many Somali residents were born in the United States or answer the ancestry question another way.

Schools show the same growth. In 2010, Somali students were about 10% of the St. Cloud Area School District's roughly 10,000 students ([MPR News, March 2010](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2010/03/15/st-cloud-tensions)). By 2022, about 40% of the district's kindergartners spoke a language other than English at home ([MPR News, November 2022](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2022/11/27/st-cloud-schools-to-offer-states-first-somali-language-immersion-program)).

## How did Somalis come to St. Cloud?

Around 2003, only about 20 Somali families lived in St. Cloud, and they prayed in a converted house ([Sahan Journal, 2020](https://sahanjournal.com/changing-the-narrative/farhiya-iman-st-cloud-minnesota-somali-refugees/)). Some came as refugees straight from East Africa, but many moved from other US cities for meatpacking and factory jobs ([Star Tribune, 2018](https://www.startribune.com/immigration-and-the-heartland-minnesota-s-smaller-cities-are-on-balance-congenial/503927222/)).

Resettlement then added steady numbers. Minnesota Department of Health figures show nearly 1,400 refugees placed in Stearns County from 2009 to 2018, over 90% from Somalia ([Sahan Journal, 2020](https://sahanjournal.com/changing-the-narrative/farhiya-iman-st-cloud-minnesota-somali-refugees/)). Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota was the main resettlement agency ([MPR News, November 2017](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2017/11/07/st-cloud-rejects-moratorium-refugee-resettlement)).

St. Cloud still draws families who move from other states. In 2025, Stearns County received 44 new primary refugee arrivals and 57 secondary arrivals, the most of any Minnesota county ([Minnesota Department of Health, Refugee Health Report 2025](https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/rih/stats/25rhrpt.pdf)). Of the 223 secondary refugees reported statewide that year, 165 were from Somalia ([MDH, 2025](https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/rih/stats/25rhrpt.pdf)).

The Minnesota Historical Society's Somali oral history project, recorded from 2013 to 2016, includes interviews in St. Cloud ([MNopedia, Minnesota Historical Society](https://www.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/somali-and-somali-american-experiences-minnesota)). For the journeys before resettlement, see [Migration routes](/en/diaspora/migration-routes/) and [Refugee camps](/en/diaspora/refugee-camps/).

## Work and money

Early jobs were on factory and processing lines. In 2003, a federal charge on behalf of 165 Somali Muslim workers at the Electrolux freezer plant in St. Cloud concerned sunset prayer breaks ([US EEOC, September 2003](https://www.eeoc.gov/newsroom/eeoc-and-electrolux-reach-voluntary-resolution-class-religious-accommodation-case)). Electrolux agreed to allow the prayer, provide Somali translation and donate to the Islamic Center in St. Cloud ([US EEOC, 2003](https://www.eeoc.gov/newsroom/eeoc-and-electrolux-reach-voluntary-resolution-class-religious-accommodation-case)).

In 2008, the EEOC settled religious discrimination suits for Somali Muslim workers at the Gold'n Plump poultry plant in Cold Spring, near St. Cloud ([US EEOC, November 2008](https://www.eeoc.gov/newsroom/goldn-plump-and-work-connection-settle-suits-eeoc-religious-discrimination)). The company and a staffing agency paid $365,000 and added a paid prayer break to each shift ([US EEOC, 2008](https://www.eeoc.gov/newsroom/goldn-plump-and-work-connection-settle-suits-eeoc-religious-discrimination)).

Somali workers later organised at the Pilgrim's Pride plant in Cold Spring and the Jennie-O plant in Melrose ([Sahan Journal, August 2019](https://sahanjournal.com/business-work/in-fight-for-better-working-conditions-somalis-find-their-voice/)). The Greater Minnesota Worker Center, founded in St. Cloud in 2013, helps low-wage workers learn their rights ([Sahan Journal, 2019](https://sahanjournal.com/business-work/in-fight-for-better-working-conditions-somalis-find-their-voice/)).

Today Somali residents also run shops, cafés and day cares; Waamo Café is a well-known meeting place ([Sahan Journal and MPR News, October 2024](https://sahanjournal.com/democracy-politics/st-cloud-somali-community-political-influence/)). In late December 2025, foundations led by the Initiative Foundation gave rapid-response grants to Somali and East African businesses in central Minnesota ([St. Cloud Times via Yahoo News, March 2026](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/ice-operations-leave-st-clouds-083030671.html)).

Money sent home matters to families here as everywhere. Somalis abroad sent home US$3,134 million in 2025, about 24% of Somalia's GDP ([Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025](https://centralbank.gov.so/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Annual-Report_2025.pdf)).

## Who speaks for the community?

In December 2024, the city council unanimously appointed Hudda Ibrahim to the Ward 3 seat, making her the first Somali American on the council ([MPR News, December 2024](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/12/03/hudda-ibrahim-st-cloud-city-council)). She was born in Somalia, teaches at St. Cloud Technical and Community College, and wrote a 2017 book on Somali Minnesotans ([MPR News](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/12/03/hudda-ibrahim-st-cloud-city-council)).

In November 2026, Abdi Daisane won House District 14A with about 52% of the vote ([MPR News, 4 November 2026](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/11/04/abdi-daisane-st-clouds-first-somali-american-state-lawmaker-defeats-mike-conway)). He is a small business owner and St. Cloud's first Somali American state lawmaker ([MPR News](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/11/04/abdi-daisane-st-clouds-first-somali-american-state-lawmaker-defeats-mike-conway)). He had lost the same race in 2024 ([MPR News](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/11/04/abdi-daisane-st-clouds-first-somali-american-state-lawmaker-defeats-mike-conway)).

Political views in the community vary. Local organisers told Sahan Journal and MPR News that many Somali residents hold conservative social views, and both parties have courted their votes ([Sahan Journal and MPR News, 2024](https://sahanjournal.com/democracy-politics/st-cloud-somali-community-political-influence/)). The Somali American Rights Coalition held its first press conference in February 2026, and St. Cloud Somali Community Radio covered it ([St. Cloud Times via Yahoo News, 2026](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/ice-operations-leave-st-clouds-083030671.html)).

## What does the community face now?

**Council votes on refugees.** In 2017, a council member proposed a pause on refugee resettlement until the resettlement agency proved it met federal rules ([MPR News, 2017](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2017/11/07/st-cloud-rejects-moratorium-refugee-resettlement)). The council rejected it 6–1 on 6 November 2017, after declaring St. Cloud a "just and welcoming community" two weeks earlier ([MPR News, 2017](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2017/11/07/st-cloud-rejects-moratorium-refugee-resettlement); [MPR News, November 2018](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2018/11/12/stcloud-minnesota-somali-refugees-election-division)).

**Immigration enforcement, 2025–2026.** Federal immigration agents surged into Minnesota in late 2025, and St. Cloud may have been their biggest focus outside the Twin Cities ([St. Cloud Times via Yahoo News, 2026](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/ice-operations-leave-st-clouds-083030671.html)). Somali residents were detained, and a strip mall of Somali-owned shops drew wide attention after an encounter with agents ([St. Cloud Times via Yahoo News](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/ice-operations-leave-st-clouds-083030671.html)).

**A city's answer.** On 26 January 2026, about 200 people filled the council chamber, and the council passed Council Member Ibrahim's welcoming resolution 6–1 ([MPR News, January 2026](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/01/27/st-cloud-city-council-punts-resolution-supporting-law-enforcement)). Mayor Jake Anderson told residents he shared their concerns and urged them to file formal complaints ([MPR News, 2026](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/01/27/st-cloud-city-council-punts-resolution-supporting-law-enforcement)).

**Schools.** In 2010, Somali students reported being taunted at Technical High School, and critics asked for stronger anti-bias teaching ([MPR News, 2010](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2010/03/15/st-cloud-tensions)). In 2022 the district announced what is believed to be Minnesota's first Somali-language immersion programme, for kindergartners from fall 2023 ([MPR News, 2022](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2022/11/27/st-cloud-schools-to-offer-states-first-somali-language-immersion-program)).

**The 2016 mall attack.** On the night of 17 September 2016, a man stabbed 10 people at the Crossroads Center mall in St. Cloud before an off-duty police officer shot him dead ([MPR News, 28 September 2016](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/09/28/st-cloud-somali-community-seeks-answers-in-mall-stabbing)). He was a 20-year-old Somali American, according to news reports. The FBI took the lead in the investigation ([MPR News, 2016](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/09/28/st-cloud-somali-community-seeks-answers-in-mall-stabbing)). FBI Director James Comey told Congress the attacker appeared "at least in part" motivated by "inspiration from radical Islamic groups", and said an ISIS claim of responsibility was not decisive ([FOX 9, 28 September 2016](https://fox9.com/news/fbi-st-cloud-mall-attack-in-part-motivated-by-extremist-groups)). No one else was charged, and there is no court record of the attack.

Somali community leaders condemned the stabbings and said they feared a backlash ([Star Tribune, 2016](https://www.startribune.com/after-mall-stabbing-a-show-of-unity-in-st-cloud/394187551)). Students and residents held unity rallies, and community members asked the authorities to release the security video ([MPR News, 2016](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/09/28/st-cloud-somali-community-seeks-answers-in-mall-stabbing)).

**Other reported figures.** English learners made up about 21.7% of the school district's pupils in September 2025, the district reported, and Sahan Journal reports that about three-quarters of the district's multilingual learners speak Somali ([Sahan Journal](https://sahanjournal.com/?p=12932)).

## How is St. Cloud tied to home?

Somali-language news is produced locally for St. Cloud listeners ([Sahan Journal and MPR News, 2024](https://sahanjournal.com/democracy-politics/st-cloud-somali-community-political-influence/)). The school district began a Somali course for native speakers in 2020, and about 40 students took it in 2021 ([MPR News, 2022](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2022/11/27/st-cloud-schools-to-offer-states-first-somali-language-immersion-program)).

Across the United States, UNHCR counted 1,355 refugees and 3,945 asylum seekers from Somalia at the end of 2024 ([UNHCR Refugee Data Finder](https://api.unhcr.org/population/v1/population/?limit=200&yearFrom=2024&yearTo=2024&coo=SOM&coa_all=true)). For the state's main community, see [Minneapolis–St Paul](/en/diaspora/minneapolis-st-paul/).

## Related pages

- [Minneapolis–St Paul](/en/diaspora/minneapolis-st-paul/)
- [Rochester, Minnesota](/en/diaspora/rochester-minnesota/)
- [United States (Somali diaspora)](/en/diaspora/united-states/)
- [Other US Somali communities](/en/diaspora/us-other/)
- [Why and how Somalis left](/en/diaspora/why-and-how-somalis-left/)
- [Migration routes](/en/diaspora/migration-routes/)
- [Refugee camps](/en/diaspora/refugee-camps/)
- [Refugee papers and status](/en/diaspora/refugee-papers-and-status/)
- [Life after leaving](/en/diaspora/life-after-leaving/)
- [Somali refugees by the numbers](/en/diaspora/somali-refugees-by-the-numbers/)

## Sources

1. US Census Bureau. American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates, Tables B02025, B04006 and B05006 (Somali), St. Cloud city, Stearns County and St. Cloud metro, via Census Reporter. [censusreporter.org](https://api.censusreporter.org/1.0/data/show/acs2024_5yr?table_ids=B02025&geo_ids=16000US2756896,05000US27145,31000US41060). Checked 2026-11-12.
2. Minnesota Department of Health. "Minnesota Refugee Health Report 2025." 2026. [health.state.mn.us](https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/rih/stats/25rhrpt.pdf). Checked 2026-11-12.
3. Minnesota Historical Society. Anduin Wilhide, "Somali and Somali American Experiences in Minnesota," MNopedia. 2018, updated 2026. [mnhs.org](https://www.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/somali-and-somali-american-experiences-minnesota). Checked 2026-11-12.
4. US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. "EEOC and Electrolux reach voluntary resolution in class religious accommodation case." 24 September 2003. [eeoc.gov](https://www.eeoc.gov/newsroom/eeoc-and-electrolux-reach-voluntary-resolution-class-religious-accommodation-case). Checked 2026-11-12.
5. US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. "Gold'n Plump and The Work Connection settle suits by EEOC for religious discrimination." 12 November 2008. [eeoc.gov](https://www.eeoc.gov/newsroom/goldn-plump-and-work-connection-settle-suits-eeoc-religious-discrimination). Checked 2026-11-12.
6. Mike Moen, Sahan Journal. "Nativists in St. Cloud have told refugees they're not welcome…" 27 October 2020. [sahanjournal.com](https://sahanjournal.com/changing-the-narrative/farhiya-iman-st-cloud-minnesota-somali-refugees/). Checked 2026-11-12.
7. Star Tribune. "Immigration and the heartland: Minnesota's smaller cities are, on balance, congenial." 2018. [startribune.com](https://www.startribune.com/immigration-and-the-heartland-minnesota-s-smaller-cities-are-on-balance-congenial/503927222/). Checked 2026-11-12.
8. Ibrahim Hirsi, Sahan Journal. "In fight for better working conditions, Somalis find their voice." 23 August 2019. [sahanjournal.com](https://sahanjournal.com/business-work/in-fight-for-better-working-conditions-somalis-find-their-voice/). Checked 2026-11-12.
9. Kirsti Marohn, MPR News with Sahan Journal. "St. Cloud Somali community seeks political influence, but not all share same views." 1 October 2024. [sahanjournal.com](https://sahanjournal.com/democracy-politics/st-cloud-somali-community-political-influence/). Checked 2026-11-12.
10. MPR News. "St. Cloud appoints first Somali American to city council." 3 December 2024. [mprnews.org](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/12/03/hudda-ibrahim-st-cloud-city-council). Checked 2026-11-12.
11. Kirsti Marohn, MPR News. "Abdi Daisane, St. Cloud's first Somali American state lawmaker, defeats Mike Conway." 4 November 2026. [mprnews.org](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/11/04/abdi-daisane-st-clouds-first-somali-american-state-lawmaker-defeats-mike-conway). Checked 2026-11-12.
12. MPR News / Associated Press. "St. Cloud council rejects moratorium on refugee resettlement." 7 November 2017. [mprnews.org](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2017/11/07/st-cloud-rejects-moratorium-refugee-resettlement). Checked 2026-11-12.
13. MPR News. "Election exposes deep divide in St. Cloud over refugees." 12 November 2018. [mprnews.org](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2018/11/12/stcloud-minnesota-somali-refugees-election-division). Checked 2026-11-12.
14. MPR News. "St. Cloud City Council punts resolution supporting law enforcement." 27 January 2026. [mprnews.org](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/01/27/st-cloud-city-council-punts-resolution-supporting-law-enforcement). Checked 2026-11-12.
15. Brian Arola, St. Cloud Times (via Yahoo News). "ICE operations leave St. Cloud's Somali community in fear." 1 March 2026. [yahoo.com](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/ice-operations-leave-st-clouds-083030671.html). Checked 2026-11-12.
16. Ambar Espinoza, MPR News. "Somali population, cultural tension rising in St. Cloud." 15 March 2010. [mprnews.org](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2010/03/15/st-cloud-tensions). Checked 2026-11-12.
17. Kirsti Marohn, MPR News. "St. Cloud schools to offer state's first Somali language immersion program." 27 November 2022. [mprnews.org](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2022/11/27/st-cloud-schools-to-offer-states-first-somali-language-immersion-program). Checked 2026-11-12.
18. Central Bank of Somalia. "Annual Report 2025." August 2026. [centralbank.gov.so](https://centralbank.gov.so/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Annual-Report_2025.pdf). Checked 2026-11-12.
19. UNHCR. Refugee Data Finder API, Somalia as country of origin, 2024. [unhcr.org](https://api.unhcr.org/population/v1/population/?limit=200&yearFrom=2024&yearTo=2024&coo=SOM&coa_all=true). Checked 2026-11-12.
20. MPR News. "St. Cloud Somali community seeks answers in mall stabbing". 28 Sep 2016. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/09/28/st-cloud-somali-community-seeks-answers-in-mall-stabbing. Checked 2026-11-12.
21. FOX 9. "FBI: St. Cloud mall attack 'in part' motivated by extremist groups". 28 Sep 2016. https://fox9.com/news/fbi-st-cloud-mall-attack-in-part-motivated-by-extremist-groups. Checked 2026-11-12.
22. Star Tribune. "After mall stabbing, a show of unity in St. Cloud". Sep 2016. https://www.startribune.com/after-mall-stabbing-a-show-of-unity-in-st-cloud/394187551. Checked 2026-11-12.
23. Sahan Journal. Article on St. Cloud schools' multilingual learners. https://sahanjournal.com/?p=12932. Checked 2026-11-12.

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