Minnesota is experiencing an increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) presence as the current U.S. administration cracks down on Somali immigrants in the state, and now, people are fighting back with memes.

All across social media, users are posting memes saying that Minnesota was promised to the Somalis 3,000 years ago to claim their right to live in the state, as their Temporary Protected Status is threatened.

So, where exactly do these memes come from, and what are they referencing? Here's what you need to know.

What Is The 'Minnesota Is Somali Promised Land' Meme?

The idea that Minnesota is the Somali promised land is a satirical reference to a belief held by many Jewish people. In Judaism, Israel is considered the promised land, as it was the land purportedly promised to them by God, according to the Hebrew Bible.

This claim has been used to justify the defense of Israel and has become more well-known as a Zionist talking point in recent years due to the Hamas-Israel conflict.

In November 2025, the current U.S. administration started cracking down on the Somali immigrant population in Minnesota as investigations into a number of large-scale frauds took place. Some Somali immigrants were reported to be involved in these scams.

These alleged instances of fraud are now being used to justify an increased ICE presence in the state, as well as moves to remove Temporary Protected Status from Somali immigrants.

The memes began on November 29th, 2025, when X user @RealAbyan made a post reading, "Minnesota was promised to Somali’s 3000 years ago," satirizing the talking point used by Israelis to hold claim over Israel as a tongue-in-cheek way of showing that they won't go anywhere.

Now, this idea has become a meme and rapidly spread online in recent days.

Minnesota was promised to Somali’s 3000 years ago 🇸🇴 https://t.co/IDgmr1MMXu pic.twitter.com/ZxXsKH5qZd

— Ʌ฿ҮӐŊ (son of Ðaraawiish)🐎🇸🇴 (@RealAbyan) November 29, 2025

How Is 'Minnesota Was Promised To The Somalis' Used In Memes?

Memes about Minnesota being the promised land for Somalis blew up on sites like X / Twitter and TikTok throughout late November and early December 2025.

These memes tend to share fake Bible verses relating to the claim, AI-generated images and edits related to it and other pieces of misinformation claiming that god promised the Somalis Minnesota 3,000 years ago.

While many people who use the meme are Somali, the trend has gained widespread virality recently, making it hard to tell which of the memes are meant to support Minnesota's Somali population and which ones are simply getting in on the joke.

@him.za11 Stop Anticushitism🙅🏾‍♂️#fyp #somalitiktok ♬ original sound – Him.za1

What Are Some More 'Minnesota Somali Promised Land' Memes?

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For the full history of the Minnesota Was Promised to the Somalis meme, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.