How have citizenship rates among Somali Minnesotans changed since 2010?
Executive summary
The Somali Minnesotan population has shifted from a majority first‑generation immigrant group in 2010 toward a community with a growing share of U.S. citizens by the mid‑2020s: a rising proportion are U.S.‑born and a very high share of foreign‑born Somalis in Minnesota have become naturalized citizens (or were born here), producing substantially higher overall citizenship rates than a decade and a half ago [1] [2] [3]. Available reporting shows this change mainly reflects two dynamics: second‑generation population growth (more U.S.‑born Somalis) and extensive naturalization among earlier arrivals—though exact year‑to‑year citizenship rates since 2010 are not fully documented in the supplied sources [1] [2] [3].
1. From a largely foreign‑born community in 2010 to a majority native‑born by the 2020s
Census‑based reporting and state guides show that in 2010 a large share of Minnesota’s Somali population were foreign‑born—data cited in 2010 American Community Survey reporting indicated roughly 21,000 Minnesotans born in Somalia and estimates of tens of thousands of Somali‑ancestry residents at that time [1] [4]. By the mid‑2020s, multiple local outlets report that nearly 58 percent of Somalis in Minnesota were born in the U.S., signaling a major demographic shift toward second‑generation, U.S.‑born residents [2] [3].
2. Naturalization among the foreign‑born is very high, boosting overall citizenship
Among Somalis in Minnesota who remain foreign‑born, reporting attributes a very high naturalization rate—one outlet cites that about 87 percent of foreign‑born Somalis in Minnesota are naturalized U.S. citizens, meaning most adult immigrants from Somalia have completed the citizenship process and the foreign‑born cohort is therefore largely citizens as well [2] [3]. Combined with the growth in U.S.‑born Somalis, these figures imply overall citizenship rates in the community are substantially higher today than in earlier years [2] [3].
3. Why citizenship rose: arrivals timing, baby boomers of the second generation, and naturalization cycles
Reporting indicates that nearly half of the foreign‑born Somali population entered the U.S. in 2010 or later, creating a wave of arrivals that, over a decade, aged into eligibility for naturalization and also produced U.S.‑born children who are citizens by birth—mechanisms that naturally increase citizenship shares over time [2] [5]. Historical accounts of Somali migration to Minnesota show rapid growth in the 1990s and 2000s followed by continued arrivals and secondary migration within the U.S., which help explain why the community’s composition changed from mostly recent arrivals in 2010 to more established, often naturalized households in the 2020s [6] [5].
4. Political narratives and data gaps: competing emphases and limits of public reporting
Political actors and some national outlets have emphasized concerns about undocumented residents or targeted enforcement in Minnesota, but local census‑based reporting repeatedly underscores that most Somalis are citizens or U.S.‑born—highlighting a mismatch between some political narratives and demographic evidence [7] [8]. That said, the supplied sources do not provide a single continuous time series of citizenship rates from 2010 to 2025; instead, the picture is assembled from snapshots (2010 ACS figures, 2018 state ancestry estimates, and mid‑2020s reporting on nativity and naturalization), so precise year‑by‑year citizenship percentages since 2010 cannot be calculated from these materials alone [1] [9] [2].
5. Bottom line and caveats
The balance of reporting in state and local sources shows that citizenship rates among Somali Minnesotans have increased since 2010 because a majority are now U.S.‑born and the foreign‑born cohort is overwhelmingly naturalized; however, exact numeric trajectories and annual rates are not provided in the available documents, and some sources emphasize political or criminal incidents that can skew public perception away from demographic realities [2] [3] [7]. Where claims about current undocumented populations or deportation eligibility appear in political coverage, they should be weighed against the census and local reporting that document a high prevalence of citizenship in the community [8] [2].