US President Donald Trump has said he does not want Somali immigrants in the US, telling reporters they should 'go back to where they came from' and 'their country is no good for a reason.'

'I don't want them in our country, I'll be honest with you,' he said during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Trump asserted that the US would 'go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country.'

His disparaging comments coincided with reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) planning an enforcement operation in Minnesota's large Somali community.

State officials condemned the plan, expressing concern that it could unfairly sweep up American citizens who may appear to be from the East African nation.

Minneapolis and St Paul, known as the Twin Cities, are home to one of the largest Somali communities in the world and the largest in the US.

Trump's comments, made during a televised cabinet meeting, continued with him stating: 'With Somalia, which is barely a country, you know, they have no, they have no anything. They just run around killing each other. There's no structure.'

He also criticized Representative Ilhan Omar, a Democrat and the first Somali-American elected to Congress. Trump said, 'I always watch her,' adding that she 'hates everybody' and calling her an 'incompetent person.' Omar responded on social media saying, 'His obsession with me is creepy.'

ICE has been directed to target undocumented Somali immigrants in the Twin Cities, with reports indicating that hundreds are expected to be affected. Local leaders estimate about 80,000 Somalis reside in Minnesota, with the majority being American citizens.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey expressed concerns that an ICE operation 'means due process will be violated.'

The Trump administration's crackdown on immigration is intensifying following a recent incident in Washington DC involving the deaths of National Guardsmen, prompting increased scrutiny of deportation policies.

Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz criticized Trump's approach, stating, 'We welcome support in investigating and prosecuting crime. But pulling a PR stunt and indiscriminately targeting immigrants is not a real solution to a problem.'