Nadene Goldfoot
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I just met a man from Somalia. That was a surprise; I've known people from Kenya and Ethiopia but not from Somalia.
The primary reason Somali people have immigrated to the USA, including Portland, is to escape decades of protracted civil war, political instability, and severe climate-related crises (such as droughts and floods) in their home country. The massive displacement wave began in the early 1990s following the collapse of the central government and the rise of extremist groups like al-Shabaab.
Resettlement Agencies: Non-profit resettlement organizations, including Lutheran and Catholic Charities, historically helped thousands of international refugees settle in the Portland metropolitan area. Many Somali families initially relocated to Portland from other initial U.S. destinations in search of better community support systems, improved air quality for health conditions like asthma, and access to established community advocates like the Somali American Council of Oregon.
Today, the Somali community in Oregon represents roughly 12,000 to 15,000 individuals, many of whom are naturalized U.S. citizens. However, the population has faced heightened tension and anxiety. Political rhetoric at the national level, coupled with federal actions like the termination of Somalia's Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation, has raised fears within the community. To learn more about the challenges Somali Americans face and the scope of the ongoing humanitarian crisis, you can explore resources from USA for UNHCR or review PBS NewsHour coverage regarding the wider Somali community in the United States.
Sheraz Sadiq from OPB on December 9, 2025 said, " President Trump attacked Somali immigrants in the nation during a Cabinet meeting, calling them “garbage” and saying that he didn’t want them in the U.S. Meanwhile, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is ramping up its activity in the Minneapolis metro area in Minnesota. That state is home to nearly 80,000 people of Somali descent, the largest such population in the nation.
The modern self-declared Republic of Somaliland was created on May 18, 1991, when it declared independence from Somalia following the collapse of the central government.
Now it happens that Somalis seem to come from Somalia. There is also a Somaliland which presents a problem for our geography knowledge and history.
Somalia and Israel do not have formal diplomatic relations, and the Somali government strongly condemns Israel. Why??
The Somali government firmly opposes Israel primarily because Israel became the first country to formally recognize the breakaway region of Somaliland as an independent state. Mogadishu views this recognition, alongside defense agreements and the establishment of a Somaliland embassy in Jerusalem, as a direct violation of Somalia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The entirety of modern Somaliland's territory is claimed but not controlled by Somalia, which does not officially recognise Israel.
Tensions escalated in December 2025 when Israel became the first country to formally recognize Somaliland, a breakaway region that Somalia claims as its sovereign territory.
Following a civil war that began in Somalia in the 1980s and the subsequent overthrow of that country’s government in 1991, a government opposition group, the Somali National Movement, secured the region comprising the former British Somaliland. In May 1991 they announced that the 1960 federation was no longer valid and declared their region to be an independent state, henceforth to be known as the Republic of Somaliland. Though it was not internationally recognized, Somaliland experienced relative stability early on—a sharp contrast to the civil war that continued to engulf Somalia. Taking advantage of that stability, in the following years the Somaliland government was able to rebuild much of the region’s infrastructure, which had been damaged by years of warfare, and established its own currency and flag.
So, out of Somalia came Somaliland. Our foreigners are from Somalia which was still warring. Somaliland was a British protectorate, gaining independence on June 26, 1960. Five days later, it voluntarily united with Italian Somaliland to form the unified Republic of Somalia. While people from both regions are overwhelmingly of Somali ethnicity, an individual from the northern breakaway region usually identifies as a Somalilander.
This gives Trump another reason to be angry with Israel who went against his wishes about Somalia or Somaliland.
I might add that PGE is complaining of more pressure on their wiring and they need to chop off trees from our forest Park to make room. The Battle is on. Forest Park was created to be just that; a living forest for us all know know and appreciate. "Forest Park in Portland was created to preserve a large tract of natural wilderness for public recreation, mental renewal, and wildlife protection. It officially opened in 1948 after decades of civic effort, which began because the steep terrain in the West Hills proved unsuitable for development due to severe landslides." Today, it is one of the largest urban forest reserves in the United States, spanning over 5,100 acres with 80 miles of trails, most notably the Wildwood Trail. You can learn more about its historical origins through the Wikipedia overview or dive deeper with The Oregon Encyclopedia. Just reminding us; our Oregon forest is being cut down, literally, an acre of the park and cutting about 70 trees cutting down for PGE to have their needed space. They are also pressured to accomodate more people who have moved here.
Resource:
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/12/09/think-out-loud-portland-somali-trump/
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