'I think the border should be closed,' one Minnesota resident told Fox News Digital
WATCH: Deep blue northern enclave responds to Trump's plan for illegal immigrants
Minnesota residents provide assessment of President Trump's handling of immigration policy and it's impact on their community.
A majority of Minneapolis locals defended Mayor Jacob Frey’s resistance to cooperating with federal law enforcement on immigration policies, yet a few supporters of President Donald Trump's deportation efforts could be found.
"He should not cooperate with the federal government right now," Eli told Fox News Digital.
Eli runs a hole-in-the-wall type hot dog diner in Cedar-Riverside, a neighborhood that has historically been home to a large immigrant community. Currently, Somalians are the predominant group in the community, establishing several businesses and a "Somali Mall."
The Minneapolis native, who told Fox News Digital that he grew up in South Minneapolis, said that Somalians should not have to be subject to deportations.
"It’s a country made of immigrants. It’s a city of immigrants. And it's inhumane to treat people like that," Eli said. "People come here to have a better life."
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said last month that he will not work with the Trump administration on deporting illegal immigrants, a stance many of the students had approved of. (Getty Images)
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) racked up thousands of arrests in the first week as it launched a mass deportation operation in cities and states across the country. Agents quickly hit over 1,000 arrests a day as Trump dropped Biden-era restrictions and took a more aggressive stance towards illegal immigration.
Billy, a native of Apple Valley, a suburb of the Twin Cities, told Fox News Digital that he does not agree with the deportations.
"I don't know that we need to be working with him on that. I think that having a diverse culture around here is beneficial for all," he said while on his way to work.
Salman Fiqy, a conservative Somalian business owner who supported Trump, said that there is a lot of uncertainty about how deportations will affect the Somalian community in Minneapolis.
"I think it's going to be very hard for Minneapolis to choose not to work with the federal government. I think it's better to kind of sort of sit around the table with the federal government and find a solution to what the policies are going to be," Fiqy said.
Fatmata, an owner of a business in Karmel, a facility that hosts a plethora of Somalian-run businesses, shared similar sentiments about the sense of uncertainty in the Somalian community.
Many Minneapolis locals defended Mayor Jacob Frey’s resistance against cooperating with federal law enforcement on immigration policies. (Fox News Digital)
"I think a lot of people are on edge, not because perhaps they don't have their papers, but perhaps maybe they were filing for relatives to come, and they know now it's going to be slowed down," she said.
"They're the ones working in agriculture doing jobs that Americans won't do," University of Minnesota student named Melanie told Fox News Digital.
One student named Andrew supported Trump's efforts because he saw what unfettered immigration did to his community back in California.
"I can see the effects of all these illegal immigrants coming in and having the border not fully locked down is really affecting California in a bad way," he said. "So I'm a big supporter of what he's doing, trying to get these illegal immigrants out of the country."
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The outskirts of Minneapolis appear to tell a different story. Glencoe, more rural and sparsely populated, is more receptive to Trump's immigration policies.
"I think the border should be closed, and we should be deporting those that are the most dangerous criminals," said Jeff, an accountant.
A Trump campaign sign along with the Minnesota and American flag was posted off of Greeley Ave N street in the city of Glencoe, Minnesota.
Residents in McLeod County, which presides over Glencoe, voted against making the county a sanctuary for illegal immigrants.
Commissioner Doug Krueger, Vice Chair of McLeod County’s board, said that his constituents approved the board's proposed resolution last year in February to oppose a state law intended to halt collaboration between local police and federal immigration enforcement.
When the measure was passed, their constituents gave a "standing ovation," a local outlet reported.
"That's the closest thing I have for now to how our constituents feel about it," Krueger told Fox News Digital.
Joshua Q. Nelson is a reporter for Fox News Digital.
Joshua focuses on politics, education policy ranging from the local to the federal level, and the parental uprising in education.
Joining Fox News Digital in 2019, he previously graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in Political Science and is an alum of the National Journalism Center and the Heritage Foundation's Young Leaders Program.
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