# Congressional Somalia Caucus *A bipartisan U.S. House caucus on Somalia announced in 2015 by Minnesota representatives Keith Ellison and Tom Emmer.* The Congressional Somalia Caucus is a member caucus of the United States House of Representatives. It was announced on June 23, 2015, by two Minnesota representatives of opposite parties: Fifth District Democrat [[Keith Ellison]] and Sixth District Republican [[Tom Emmer]].[^1] They said the caucus would advocate for peace and stability in Somalia, including efforts to defeat the terrorist network Al-Shabaab. They also said it would help set good governance standards and move "Somalia's informal economy" into the formal global marketplace.[^1] The record shows one documented output after the founding. In February 2016, Emmer, Ellison and three other members of Congress, all Democrats, signed a letter congratulating Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on a new anti-money-laundering and terror-financing law.[^2] The record assembled here does not include a caucus charter, a roster or sponsored legislation. The House's list of member organizations states that each caucus maintains its own membership list.[^3] Ten years after the founding, Gigafact identified Ellison as Minnesota's attorney general.[^4] Emmer, by then House Majority Whip, said on Fox Business in December 2025 that 80% of crimes in the Twin Cities were committed by Somalis. The Minnesota Reformer reported that claim as false.[^5] ## Who - Keith Ellison was a Democratic U.S. representative from Minnesota's Fifth District when the caucus was formed.[^1] Gigafact, writing on December 17, 2025, identified him as the state's attorney general.[^4] - Tom Emmer was the Republican representative from the Sixth District, which includes [[St. Cloud]].[^1][^2] By December 2025 he was House Majority Whip.[^5] - The other three signers of the 2016 letter are described only as Democrats. MPR News does not name them.[^2] ## What - In their joint statement, the founders wrote: "Together, we represent some of the largest Somali-American communities in the United States."[^1] - The 2016 letter welcomed Somalia's new financial law. Ellison said the law ensures that remittances "can reach families in Somalia without falling into the hands of extremist groups like Al-Shabaab and Daesh."[^2] ## When - February 6, 2015: twelve U.S. senators and representatives, including Ellison, wrote to Secretary of State John Kerry and financial regulators. They sought an emergency plan to keep money transfers to Somalia open. This letter came before the caucus was formed.[^6] - February 10, 2015: Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia sent a letter seconding that request.[^6] - June 23, 2015: Ellison and Emmer announced the caucus.[^1] - 2015: at a St. Cloud town hall, Emmer said Somalis are "some of the fastest-assimilating populations."[^4] - February 23, 2016: the letter on Somalia's new law was released.[^2] - December 2025: Emmer made the Fox Business remarks, reported by the Reformer on December 4, 2025.[^5] ## Where The caucus was formed at the U.S. Capitol. MPR News reported that Minnesota's large Somali-American community is concentrated in the Twin Cities and the surrounding metro area.[^1] The Reformer describes it as the largest Somali community in the nation.[^5] ## Why The founders described Somalia as "a matter of domestic policy and national security" for themselves and their constituents.[^1] The earlier 2015 remittance correspondence cited Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's warning that cutting off diaspora money could strengthen the appeal of terrorism and piracy for young Somali men.[^6] The record shows these stated reasons. It does not show the caucus's internal deliberations. ## How The documented means were a joint statement at the founding and a co-signed letter in 2016.[^1][^2] MPR News reported the constraint behind the remittance issue. Somalis in the United States can send money only if a U.S. bank will facilitate the transfer, and banks risk multimillion-dollar fines under federal anti-terrorism financing laws.[^2] ## How much - Johnson's letter cites an international NGO's figure of more than $215 million sent from the U.S. to Somalia in the previous year.[^6] - MPR News, citing Oxfam International, reported that remittances account for as much as 45 percent of Somalia's economic activity.[^2] ## How many - The February 6, 2015 letter had twelve signers. Four were from Minnesota: Senators [[Amy Klobuchar]] and Al Franken, and Representatives Ellison and Erik Paulsen. Emmer is not among the listed signers.[^6] - The 2016 letter had five signers.[^2] - The record gives no membership count for the caucus itself.[^3] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who The Reformer quoted Emmer's 2015 St. Cloud town hall remarks. He said he supported immigrants "who are in this country legally" and called a proposed ban on more Somali people moving to St. Cloud "un-American."[^5] In December 2025, Emmer said on Fox Business: "It's not that all Somalis are committing crimes, but 80% of the crimes being committed in the Twin Cities Minnesota are being committed by Somalis."[^5] The Reformer stated that law enforcement agencies do not release perpetrators' nationality. It cited two data sources: - A state dashboard showing that 37% of people arrested in the seven-county metro area since 2021 were Black. - A [[Hennepin County Attorney]] dashboard showing that 57% of cases since 2018 involved a Black or African-American perpetrator.[^5] ### When A project time-table row records that, in late December 2025, Emmer called for the deportation of Somali-Americans tied to fraud.[^7] Gigafact reported that Emmer's Fox Business remarks came as the Trump administration increased immigration enforcement against Twin Cities Somalis.[^4] ### What On January 14, 2026, the [[United States Department of Justice]] announced a lawsuit against the State. Its release No. 26-21 is titled *United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's "Affirmative Action" Regime*. Attorney General Pamela Bondi certified the case as a matter of general public importance.[^8] This followed Gigafact's December 2025 identification of caucus co-founder Ellison as the state's attorney general. The complaint in [[United States v. State of Minnesota (0:26-cv-00273)]] was filed in the District of Minnesota under [[Title VII]] of the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]]. It cites [[Minn. Stat. § 43A.191]] eight times, including subdivision 3(c)'s requirement that an agency explain the reason for hiring a non-affirmative candidate.[^9] The record here shows the filing but no disposition. The U.S. government has used "regime" for governments it opposes. For example, the [[Iraq Liberation Act]] of 1998 states a policy of supporting efforts to remove "the regime headed by Saddam Hussein."[^10] The project's catalogue of U.S.-government "regime" usages ([[How Minnesota Got Here]], note 40) finds Minnesota the only U.S. state so described.[^10] In [[Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services]] (2025), the Supreme Court held that Title VII's disparate-treatment provision "draws no distinctions between majority-group plaintiffs and minority-group plaintiffs."[^11] ## Notes [^1]: MPR News, *Ellison, Emmer form Somalia caucus* (June 23, 2015) — the caucus's formation, its founders, its stated aims and the joint statement. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/06/23/ellison-emmer-form-somalia-caucus [^2]: MPR News, *Ellison, Emmer hail new Somali law to keep remittances from terrorist groups* (Feb. 23, 2016) — the letter signed by Ellison, Emmer and three Democrats, Ellison's statement, banking constraints and the Oxfam figure. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/02/23/somali-remittances-new-law [^3]: U.S. House Committee on House Administration, *119th Congress Congressional Member Organizations (CMOs)* (updated Sept. 24, 2026) — states that each caucus maintains its own membership list. https://cha.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/cha.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/6ceec7c1c2d6f271687eecb12d5c58b090f056f97cae0df79062ea26a2eb7c48.2026-09-25-cmo-list.pdf [^4]: Gigafact / MinnPost, *Did Rep. Tom Emmer once say Somalis were among the fastest-assimilating immigrant groups?* (Dec. 17, 2025) — Emmer's 2015 St. Cloud remark; the 2015 founding with Ellison; Ellison's office as attorney general; the context of immigration enforcement. https://gigafact.org/?p=12206 [^5]: Minnesota Reformer, *U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer makes wildly inaccurate claim about Somali crime on national TV* (Dec. 4, 2025) — Emmer's Fox Business statement, the Reformer's data and his 2015 St. Cloud remarks. https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/12/04/u-s-rep-tom-emmer-lies-about-somali-crime-on-national-tv/ [^6]: Rep. Hank Johnson, *Rep. Johnson calls for meeting with agencies on maintaining remittance lifelines between U.S., Somalia* (Feb. 10, 2015) — the Feb. 6, 2015 letter and its signers, the $215 million figure and the stated security rationale. https://hankjohnson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-johnson-calls-meeting-agencies-maintaining-remittance-lifelines [^7]: MPR News, *Rep. Emmer calls for fraud accountability* (Dec. 2025), as recorded in project time-table row TL-0944 — Emmer's call for the deportation of Somali-Americans tied to fraud. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/12/31/rep-emmer-calls-for-fraud-accountability [^8]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, *United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's "Affirmative Action" Regime*, release No. 26-21 (Jan. 14, 2026) — the release title and Bondi's certification. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-department-justice-files-lawsuit-against-minnesotas-affirmative-action-regime [^9]: U.S. Department of Justice, *Complaint, United States v. State of Minnesota*, No. 0:26-cv-00273 (D. Minn. filed Jan. 14, 2026) — the Title VII basis and the citations of § 43A.191, including subd. 3(c). https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1423361/dl [^10]: U.S. Congress, *Iraq Liberation Act of 1998*, Pub. L. 105-338 — the "regime" usage; the catalogue finding is the project's own (How Minnesota Got Here, note 40). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-105publ338/pdf/PLAW-105publ338.pdf [^11]: Supreme Court of the United States, *Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services*, 605 U.S. 303 (2025) — the holding on Title VII disparate treatment. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/23-1039_c0n2.pdf