‘Climate of fear in Trump era’: US-born Somali-American couple flee Minneapolis after ICE killed woman

A young Somali-American couple, who were staying at an Airbnb in Minneapolis, booked a last-minute flight to California this week because of the worsening political atmosphere in the city.

One of the Airbnb home owners, in a post on X, described the incident and said that during the Trump era, a climate of fear has thickened in the air of America.


Both adults were born in the United States to parents who immigrated legally and have become an US citizens by birth. Still, with their six-month-old baby, they decided to leave temporarily, fearing that rising tensions and aggressive immigration enforcement could place their family at risk.

"My current Airbnb guests, a young Somali-American couple, booked a last-minute flight to California to escape the rising political tension in Minneapolis. Both were born in the United States to parents who immigrated here legally; they are US citizens by birth. With their six-month-old baby in tow, they chose to leave until the atmosphere calms, hoping to protect their family from what they fear could become unjust targeting or persecution. This is the climate of fear that many people feel has taken hold in the America shaped during the Trump era," the owner said in a post on X.


The couple said they hoped to return once the situation calmed, but felt compelled to prioritise their child’s safety amid uncertainty and anxiety.

This came after fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old woman, during an ICE operation in Minneapolis.

Good, a mother of three, was shot and killed by an ICE agent during the enforcement action, an incident that sparked protests in several cities and intensified national scrutiny of the agency.

The shooting renewed calls from progressive lawmakers and advocacy groups for major changes at the Department of Homeland Security and, in some cases, for dismantling ICE altogether.

The episode also deepened political divisions in Washington. Some Democrats called for structural reforms and greater oversight of federal immigration enforcement, while Republicans and the administration defended ICE’s role, arguing that abolishing the agency would undermine immigration enforcement and national security.