Karmel Mall in Minneapolis serves as a shopping destination, gathering place and starting point for Somali entrepreneurs. Fox News Digital toured the property a day after Rep. Ilhan Omar appeared there in what the outlet described as her first public appearance since a raid on her home.
Omar visited the mall after voting early in her reelection contest. She had lunch with friends, supporters and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison in its food court. A large Somali flag is painted on the ceiling, while Somali, Palestinian and American flags hang on the walls. Owner Basim Sabri said politicians also hold press conferences in the space.
The mall's businesses include clothing shops, gold and fragrance sellers, barbers, cafes, Somali food vendors and henna shops. Other stores provide international calling SIM cards, currency exchange services and travel arrangements to the Middle East and East Africa. English is a second language for most people inside, according to Fox News Digital's account. An Islamic weekend school offers children Quran instruction and recreational activities.
A female shop owner described the mall as a community hub with mostly women entrepreneurs. Sabri characterized it as an incubator where businesses can establish themselves before expanding into larger premises elsewhere. The number of stores was unclear: he gave figures of 900 and 750 at different points.
Sabri, who was born in Gaza, moved to the United States to study in Minneapolis and subsequently built a real estate business. His holdings include the mall and several apartment complexes housing Somalis. He has connections in local and state politics, is friends with Omar and knew her father. In 2005, he received a 33-month federal prison sentence for bribing a Minneapolis public official.
Sabri said the mall helps Somalis integrate and prosper. A different assessment came from Steven Camerota, research director at the Center for Immigration Studies, who directed Fox News Digital to a December 2025 report describing difficulties facing the community. According to that report, more than half of children in Minnesota households headed by Somali-born immigrants live in poverty, compared with 8% of children in households of native-born Minnesotans.
The report also said half of Somali-born immigrants who had spent more than a decade in the United States could not speak English very well, and 89% of Somali households received some form of welfare. Camerota argued that modern conditions complicate assimilation, citing travel and communications technology that allow immigrants to maintain close connections with their countries of origin.
Camerota also pointed to conflicting views within American institutions about the country's history and identity, along with the scale of immigration. He argued that restrictions introduced after World War I helped assimilation during the following decades and suggested similar limits could have that effect again.
Sabri maintained that the mall welcomes everyone, although Fox News Digital reported seeing few visitors from outside the Somali community during its tour. He described Somali business owners as hardworking and invited others to visit, saying entrepreneurs there were earning a living and developing businesses that could become successful.
