TikTok Star’s Deportation Highlights Fears for Somali Immigrants in the US
A Somali TikTok influencer, known as “Garyaqaan,” was deported from Minneapolis to Mogadishu earlier this year, sparking alarm within the city’s large Somali community and raising questions about the future of Somali immigrants in the United States.
Mahad Mohamud, 36, is slowly readjusting to life in Somalia’s capital after being deported from the US just as winter was closing in. In Minneapolis, he had cultivated a significant online following, attracting nearly half a million followers on TikTok with his commentary on clan interests – a popular element of Somali social media culture. However, to some, he was labeled a threat.
The case of “Garyaqaan” – a Somali word translating to “judge” – underscores the precarious situation faced by many Somali immigrants in the US, particularly following increasingly restrictive immigration policies and rhetoric. Mohamud’s deportation followed accusations, which he vehemently denies, of involvement in the kidnapping of French officials in Mogadishu. He maintains he was not in the city at the time of the alleged incident and was never convicted.
Mohamud alleges his detention by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was triggered by a rival TikToker who leaked his address. “ICE told me they had two cases against me – one was entering the country illegally and the kidnapping of a French official,” he stated. While the FBI cleared him of the kidnapping allegation after questioning, it did not prevent his deportation.
His journey to the US was arduous, beginning over a decade ago with a stay in South Africa until 2021. He fled South Africa after a xenophobic attack left him physically assaulted. He then traveled to Brazil before crossing the Mexican border into the US without documentation. “When I jumped the fence from Mexico, I was arrested and detained for a month,” Mohamud recounts. “I was later released with a work permit because my asylum case was active.”
After securing his release, Mohamud settled in Minneapolis, finding work as an Uber driver and building his online presence. His TikTok career flourished, providing a steady income through gifts from fans who watched his live streams. However, his outspoken views also attracted threats, including a death threat from the Somalia-based Islamist militant group al-Shabab due to his pro-government stance. This threat formed part of his asylum claim.
Mohamud vividly remembers the morning of his arrest in May. “Boom, they came for me,” he said, describing the sudden arrival of immigration agents shortly after breakfast. He was transported to ICE headquarters and then to Kandiyohi County Jail Prison in Willmar, Minnesota, where he spent six months in detention – three months awaiting a decision on his asylum case and three awaiting deportation. The authorities ultimately rejected his claim, asserting he would not be in danger in Somalia.
During his detention, Mohamud was briefly transferred to Arizona, a hub for deportation proceedings, but logistical delays repeatedly postponed his departure. He was among a group of 39 detainees – including nationals from Kenya, Ethiopia, and Eritrea – awaiting deportation flights.
His eventual deportation was a harrowing experience. Mohamud says he was restrained in a tight jacket and flown on a small plane with seven other deportees and guards, first to Costa Rica, then to Senegal, and finally to Nairobi, Kenya. It was in Nairobi that the restraining jacket was removed, replaced by handcuffs, before the final leg of the journey to Mogadishu.
After three months of waiting, Mohamud has been reunited with his three children, whom he hadn’t seen in ten years. “I wouldn’t trade this moment for anything now… I haven’t seen them for 10 years,” he said. Despite this reunion, he fears for his safety, continuing to receive death threats from al-Shabab and taking extra security precautions.
Upon his return, Mohamud received a welcoming reception from members of his clan, including local politicians, leveraging his TikTok fame. He recognizes that his social media profile may open doors unavailable to other deported Somalis.
The case has unfolded against a backdrop of increasingly hostile rhetoric towards Somali immigrants. Last month, former President Donald Trump announced his intention to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which shields individuals from deportation when their home countries are deemed unsafe. He further stated he “does not want Somali immigrants in the US,” urging them to “go back to where they came from” and claiming “their country is no good for a reason.”
Somalia has faced decades of instability since the collapse of President Siad Barre’s government in 1991, with Islamist militants continuing to exert control over large parts of the country and staging attacks in the capital.
Trump’s comments followed scrutiny of alleged fraud in Minnesota’s social assistance programs, involving a charity accused of fraudulently billing the state for meals during the Covid-19 pandemic, with some Somali immigrants implicated in the scheme.
In the wake of Trump’s remarks, reports surfaced on social media of ICE agents conducting door-to-door operations in Minneapolis, particularly in the “Little Mogadishu” neighborhood and St. Paul. This has triggered widespread alarm within the Somali community, the largest in the US, numbering approximately 80,000.
The BBC spoke to five young Somali men who have gone into hiding, fearing deportation due to their TPS status. “We’re running out of food. We haven’t reported to work for the past five days because we’re scared that ICE might be waiting for us. I don’t know what will happen to us,” one of the men stated.
Mohamud is not alone in his deportation. Another young Somali man, speaking anonymously, described struggling to rebuild his life in Mogadishu after fleeing drought in rural Somalia and illegally crossing the US-Mexico border. He spent 18 months in US custody before being deported. “They sent me back to start from zero,” he said. “Everything I worked for just disappeared.” He is now considering attempting to migrate again, stating, “I don’t want to start life again. I just want to migrate to any country now.”
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The story of Mahad Mohamud and others highlights the complex realities faced by Somali immigrants seeking safety and opportunity in the US, and the growing anxieties surrounding immigration policies and enforcement.
