WILLMAR, Minn. — In 2005, a national civic organization honored this west-central Minnesota town with an “All-America City” designation, based in large part on its efforts to embrace a burgeoning Latino and Somali population.

That celebrated place in a transforming America has led to visits from Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Thomas Friedman – who characterized the city as a “modern successful, American melting pot” – Sports Illustrated and, most recently, the Wall Street Journal. (And, yes, MinnPost).

Related: Somalis in Greater Minnesota feel ripple effects of Twin Cities ICE operations

It’s a story of resilience that is nonetheless being tested in the wake of demeaning rhetoric about immigrants in the aftermath of fraud scandals involving Somalis, the never-ending political battles over immigration and ramped up immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities, just 100 miles to the east.

One bulwark of support in this town of 21,000 could be an underlying Christian ethic, according to Willmar Mayor Doug Reese. “I am a man of faith, and Jesus taught us to love all people” of all races and cultures, he said. In Willmar, that includes Somalis of the Muslim faith.

Related: Did Rep. Tom Emmer once say Somalis were among the fastest-assimilating immigrant groups?

If visions of the American Dream have faded elsewhere around the country, it still exists for Latinos, Somalis and a host of other ethnicities in Willmar, said Pablo Obregon, director of community growth for the City of Willmar.

“When you arrive in downtown Willmar, the first time you see the main cultural presence of Somalis is because of business,” Obregon said. “They are very involved in the local economy, in the health sector and (the) Jennie-O (turkey processing plant).” In city and YMCA recreation programs “you can see their presence and continue building relationships,” he said.

State Rep. Dave Baker, a Republican and Willmar businessman who represents much of Kandiyohi County, has been meeting with members of the Somali community. 

“I give a lot of credit to the communities like Willmar that have had to work through a lot of challenging issues with language barriers and employment needs and housing,” Baker said. “Willmar is not growing if we don’t have new Americans coming to our area.”

“Willmar has been a very supportive community for new residents, for new Americans. I have Somali workers in my hotel who do a fine job. I have learned how to work through some language barriers. My experience has been that they are good workers.”

He added: “I care deeply about their involvement in our community, how they work, what they do to provide services to our area, their children and school. Their workers at manufacturing plants are all important to us. We all want to get rid of the fraudsters. We all want to catch the law breakers.”

Assimilation through education

Other than places of employment, the public schools provide a significant arena for community integration in Willmar. That’s one reason Bill Adams sought his job as Willmar Public Schools superintendent.

“I’ve always wanted to be in a system that had a diverse student body,” he said. “It has been everything I expected. There’s nothing more rewarding than walking into a classroom and seeing kids from all different backgrounds.”

“You see a lot of assimilation and coexistence, and a lot of interaction between all of our cultures,” Adams added. “It’s like the great American experiment back in the day when all the Germans, Swedes, Norwegians were all coming over. They were from different countries, and it became a melting pot. And it’s exactly what it is. It’s just different countries.”

At 44.6%, Latinos represent the largest ethnic group in Willmar Public Schools, followed by whites at 33.5%, African-Americans at 14.2% and Asians at 3.8%. Overall, enrollment has been declining, however, as open enrollment allows local students to transfer to neighboring districts, Adams said.

Indeed, it was students behind a cause for community celebration in 2005 and again in 2006 when the high school boys’ cross-country team won the state championship, led by five Somali runners. That drew state and national news coverage, including a feature story in Sports Illustrated, and video story by KARE-11.

Fears over ICE

On a recent weekend, reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s presence and of ICE apprehensions have circulated on social media.

The school district sent letters to staffers and students offering support and information about their rights. The letter to families stated: “Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials must have a judicial warrant to enter school property. In the unlikely event that a judicial warrant was presented, parental consent would be required before any ICE official could interview a student.”

On a recent weekend, the spouse of a staff member and the parent of a student were detained, Adams said. 

Kandiyohi County Sheriff Eric Tollefson would not say anything about the situation, Adams said. School attendance reports the following Monday showed a spike in absences averaging 15% to 20% among all schools in the district, tapering to 5% to 10% by midweek. 

While fear has been a factor, “we haven’t seen any targeted enforcement towards our Somali community,” said Jenny Groen, director of the Willmar office of Arrive Ministries, which provides services to immigrants. Some have not ventured from their homes out of fear, she said.

“The political rhetoric is unfortunate,” Tollefson said. He did not comment on ICE, nor provide any demographics about the current jail population. The jail opened in 2001 with 190 beds, 150 of which were designated in a contract for federal detainees. The large capacity was intentional in order to generate revenue for the county, which averaged about $4.3 million each of the past two years, according to a county budget report. The sheriff’s department also entered into a 287(g) memorandum of agreement earlier this year that allows local officers to aid in the transport of ICE detainees.

‘Immense challenges’

President Donald Trump’s recent “garbage” slur about Somalis drew a strong response from Kandiyohi County Commissioner Steve Gardner. 

In an opinion piece published in the West Central Tribune, he wrote: “Nearly all the Somali American community here are American citizens. They are kind, smart, and people of immense faith who love their community and country.”

“The immense challenges they have endured to get here are unfathomable. And just like the great majority of any other people group, they are law-abiding and respectful. Our communities are stronger because of their presence here. Our schools are shining examples for the larger community, where friendship, teamwork and understanding of each other are on display each and every day,” Gardner wrote.

Both Gardner and Adams said feedback about the commentary and school letter has been mostly positive. “I got one voicemail that wasn’t very polite, and then another,” Adams said. “I called them back and had conversations that (the letter) was geared towards all families because we have families that are fearful.”

Negative attitudes in the public sphere seem to be limited to social media posts. A review of the county Republican Party Facebook page showed a predominance of pro-ICE and anti-immigrant posts. 

“When it comes to any government leader, as (Gov. Tim) Walz of Minnesota and (President) Trump, their words actually do mean something,” Baker said. “I don’t think that the ‘garbage’ comment on the Somali community is accurate whatsoever. I also think that the comments that Gov. Walz has made about Republicans and ICE officials are not appropriate, either.”

Going viral

On a recent Sunday, the Immigrant Defense Network held a training session for “constitutional observers” in Willmar that drew about 35 residents. The event was held at Spurs Restaurant in a downtown that has gone through a transformation over the decades — from storefronts of clothing shops and restaurants to vacant stores to shops now run by Latino and Somali immigrants. 

That change in the commercial core spurred a Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis report titled “Little Mogadishu in the All-America City? Somali entrepreneurship in Willmar, Minnesota.”

Two former business spaces now house community support services. Arrive Ministries, in a building that once housed a building supply company, offers English classes, programs in cooking, sewing and education and other community workshops. A few blocks away, a former bank building now houses Community Connectors Services, co-founded by Abditafah Muhamed.

Muhamed left Kenya in 2015 to attend Ridgewater College in Willmar. He works full-time on the second shift in quality control at Jennie-O. Much of his time and that of others with Community Connectors Services is volunteered. Services for the Somali population deal with community integration, public awareness, drug abuse, mental health and education. It also offers a food shelf service with supplies provided by Second Harvest Heartland.

At Arrive Ministries, when Groen first heard the “garbage” rhetoric she invited some friends to show their support by meeting for lunch at the Somali Star restaurant. Social media messages took off locally and about 150 people showed up. While having lunch they wrote notes expressing support.

When Groen posted a video of the event on Instagram, she said it went viral, eventually drawing the attention of U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., who reposted it. 

“It’s been seen in a bunch of different countries,” she said. “Now I’m getting notes and messages from the UK, Canada, Australia.” She placed collections of notes in picture frames to post at Somali businesses and services around town.

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