Community
Other US Somali communities
About 259,000 Somalis live in the United States, and about 150,000 of them live outside Minnesota, in places such as San Diego, Lewiston in Maine, Atlanta and the Washington area. In 2026 they face the end of Temporary Protected Status, immigration raids and a new tax on money sent abroad.
Who lives there
About 259,000 Somalis live in the US, and about 108,000 of them in Minnesota (American Community Survey, 2024). Most Somalis in America are US citizens (News From The States). Minneapolis–St Paul, Seattle and Columbus have their own pages.
- San Diego: said to be the second-largest Somali community outside Minnesota. Most live in City Heights (KPBS, Jan 2026).
- Lewiston, Maine: about 3,000 Somalis, with a business strip on Lisbon Street (WBUR, Jan 2026).
- Elsewhere: Atlanta–Clarkston, the Washington area, and many smaller cities.
Work and money
Lewiston has Somali-run halal markets and shops on Lisbon Street. Somalis in the US sent $1.73 billion home in 2023, and a typical sender sends $450 to $500 a month (Minnesota Reformer).
Who serves the community
Federal, state and city governments. In San Diego, groups such as PANA and CAIR San Diego support the community (KPBS). In Maine, Ifka Community Services and the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (WBUR).
What the community faces now
- 13 January 2026: Temporary Protected Status for Somalia was ended, from 17 March 2026, and lawsuits were filed (Minnesota Lawyer).
- 20 to 24 January 2026: immigration raids in Maine led to more than 200 arrests. Many of those held had asylum cases pending and no criminal record. Lisbon Street went quiet, and people stayed away from school, work and shops (WBUR).
- 1 January 2026: a 1% federal tax on cash sent abroad began (Minnesota Reformer).
Top needs
- Clean, documented money channels home under new taxes and scrutiny.
- Small, scattered communities linked into one counted diaspora.
- Remote paid work in Somalia from US Somali businesses.
- Public proof that Somali money does good.
- Remembrance and records for families split by war and now by removal.
What we don't know yet
Counts for Atlanta, the Washington area and smaller cities, and wage figures. If you know, use "Fix this page".
Sources
- News From The States · newsfromthestates.com
- KPBS, Jan 2026 · kpbs.org
- WBUR, Jan 2026 · wbur.org
- Minnesota Reformer · minnesotareformer.com
- Minnesota Lawyer · minnlawyer.com
Gathered in our research record “Community profiles”. Wikipedia is used only as a backup.
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