The New Face of Minnesota – St. Paul Immigration Project
Bringing New Immigrants into the Debate
By Pat Ford
Pew Center
The traditional picture of Minnesota as the land of earnest, fair-haired Norwegians and Swedes has been cemented by humorist Garrison Keillor through his nationally broadcast radio show, “A Prairie Home Companion.” So a visit to Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis might be a startling revelation. About one-third of the student body is made up of Somali teenagers who’ve immigrated in the last few years.
Of some 40,000 Somalis living in the United States, at least 15,000 live in Minnesota, state demographers say. And no one has been more surprised at this new phenomenon than Minnesotans themselves.