{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases/ranking-member-betty-mccollum-demands-answers-letter-homeland-security", "Ranking Member Betty McCollum Demands Answers in Letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem", "2025-12-03", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Betty McCollum", "M001143", "mccollum.house.gov", "mccollum", "https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem sent Wednesday evening, Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D, MN-04) expressed outrage over the Administration\u2019s deliberate targeting of Minnesota\u2019s Somali community and demanded answers on the Department\u2019s actions in the Twin Cities Metro area. Read the full text of the letter below or view a copy of the letter on Congresswoman McCollum\u2019s website.\n\nDear Secretary Noem:\n\nI write to express my outrage at the Trump Administration\u2019s deliberate targeting of the Somali community in Minnesota. The President\u2019s escalating racist attacks calling members of the Somali community \u201cgarbage\u201d are vile, abhorrent and below the dignity of the Oval Office.\n\nAmerica has lived through very dark chapters when entire communities were treated as less than human. Native Americans were violently forced from their homes and onto reservations. Black Americans faced systemic dehumanization and were subjected to laws that codified their oppression. Chinese immigrants were rounded up during the era of exclusion. Japanese Americans were interned in camps against during World War II. Each of these actions became a stain on our history.\n\nPresident Trump was wrong when he said members of our Somali-American community are \u201cgarbage.\u201d Our Somali community are human beings. They are elected officials, business owners, doctors, nurses, teachers, drivers, neighbors and friends. The Somali community is woven into the fabric of Minnesota and are inseparable from the fabric of America, and their contributions strengthen both our state and our nation.\n\nAs a Member of Congress representing many Somali families in Minnesota 4th District, I strongly oppose the Department of Homeland Security\u2019s operations against the Somali community. I expect answers to the following questions no later than close of business on December 12, 2025.\n\nThe vast majority of Minnesota\u2019s Somali community are U.S. citizens or Legal Permanent Residents. How will you ensure that American citizens are not wrongly targeted, harassed or criminalized by the Department of Homeland Security?\n\nWhat justification and explanation can the Department of Homeland Security offer for these pending Enforcement and Removal Operations that only destabilize and erode the trust between law enforcement and communities?\n\nWhat safeguards has your office put in place for pending Enforcement and Removal Operations to prevent any violations of due process?\n\nHow will you ensure that Department of Homeland Security operations do not harm or put people\u2019s lives in danger?\n\nIt is imperative that the Department of Homeland Security stop racially targeting the Somali community. This policy only instills fear and divisiveness in our country. Minnesotans and the American public deserve better.\n\nI look forward to hearing from you soon.\n\nSincerely,\n\nBetty McCollum\n\nMember of Congress\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases/ranking-member-betty-mccollum-demands-answers-letter-homeland-security"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.3164000120013952, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}