Somali businesses struggle during the Minneapolis ICE crackdown, AP explains

(18 Jan 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Minneapolis - 16 January 2026
1. Wide of outside of Karmel Mall in the snow
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Raza, The Associated Press:
"I'm here outside Karmel Mall, one of the Somali malls in Minneapolis. This place is more than just a shopping center, it's a community hub with a mosque, Quran classes, housing. Inside there's businesses selling everything."
3. Various of empty interiors of mall and businesses with closed doors
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Raza, The Associated Press:
"Recently business owners here have said that the ICE presence in town has scared away their customers. A lot of employees don't want to come to work. Some vendors don't even bother opening up their shop because they don't expect any customers."
5. Sign for mall
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Raza, The Associated Press:
"People who used to have 15-20 customers come in in an hour say they're now lucky to have just one. Others are struggling to make rent having to pull together funds."
7. Various street outside mall
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Raza, The Associated Press:
"Even citizens are worried, especially after Renee Good, who was a U.S. citizen was killed last week. And a lot of folks here are worried about racial profiling and worried that even their citizenship won't be enough."

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Archive: Minneapolis - 13 January 2026
9. Various of memorial and signs decrying ICE killing of Renee Good
STORYLINE:
Rows of businesses stood shuttered inside a sprawling complex of Somali businesses on a recent afternoon, typically a bustling time of day.

Karmel Mall in south Minneapolis contains more than a hundred small businesses in suites offering everything from clothing and food to insurance and accounting services.

On Thursday, the noisy hallways inside lay quiet, save for the occasional chatter between neighboring vendors. The smell of fried food still wafted from the bakeries, the central heating hummed and the sound of Quran recitation flowed quietly from some shops.

But many sellers sat alone in their clothing stores, waiting for the occasional customer to walk by. Everyone is afraid of federal immigration agents, business owners said.

Sellers and customers, citizens and noncitizens. Some don’t bother opening shop because they aren’t expecting any customers.

AP Video by Sarah Raza

===========================================================

Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: info@aparchive.com.

Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...