AP — MINNEAPOLIS — Military Humvees, officers in combat gear and the occasional F-16 flying over downtown Minneapolis are all part of the beefed up security measures that come with hosting the Super Bowl. But those images can be scary for some immigrants and refugees who are worried about terrorism, deportation or even a war they can’t forget.

A special team with the city of Minneapolis has been working for weeks to reassure immigrant communities that all the extra muscle is here to keep them safe. The team is reaching out through radio and television broadcasts, social media and in-person meetings with elders and community members. The goal is to keep communities informed about everything from security to transportation issues, and let them know they can also participate in the fun.

“It’s a welcoming place … for people to come downtown and enjoy,” said Michael Yang, a southeast Asian community specialist with the city. “You shouldn’t have to fear anything.”

Minnesota has been a welcoming state for immigrants over the last several decades, thanks in part to its social service programs. The state is home to the largest Somali community in the U.S., roughly 57,000 people according to the latest census figures, most of whom live in the Minneapolis area. The state also has the second-highest Hmong population, behind California.

The team of community specialists in Minneapolis does outreach in immigrant communities all year, but is working with more partners and intensifying efforts in the lead-up to the Super Bowl. Officials believe they have created a model for future Super Bowls or other large events. Among other things, the team is broadcasting weekly radio programs in Spanish, Somali and Hmong and is contracting with others to share social media messages in Spanish, Hmong, Somali, Vietnamese, Oromo and Lao.

The messages are being tailored to each community because while one community might believe armed guards are preventing a terror attack, another might see those same officers as an immigration raid.

“Every community has their own take on the event and their own fears and concerns and we address them by giving them the right information, telling them what’s going on,” said Rose Lindsay with the community relations unit in the Joint Information Center set up for the Super Bowl.

Yang said that even though Hmong immigrants have been in Minnesota for decades, images of the war they left behind are still fresh. Some people he’s met tell him that the armed officers remind them of the military taking over the streets of Laos. Others expressed concern about helicopters or other aircraft flying overhead, saying it reminds them of enemy aircraft.

“With some members of the Hmong community, people are really fearful that there is war,” he said.

The Hmong have also expressed fear of a terrorist attack or hate crimes, and weeks ago elders were asking families to stay away from the Super Bowl activities. Yang said his work has helped ease fears. Other team members agree.

Abdirashid Ahmed, an East African community specialist, is working to explain the Super Bowl to community leaders, faith leaders and other community members. In addition to face-to-face meetings, he’s also monitoring social media to see what the community is talking about.

After a car caught fire in a Somali neighborhood this week, many community members went to social media and asked if there was a terror attack. Ahmed said because of the infrastructure that’s been set up, officials were able to respond within minutes to let the community know it was a mechanical fire and they had nothing to worry about.

When asked if there is fear of racial profiling in a community where some members have been the subject of terror investigations, Ahmed said there is always that concern because of the current climate. But as far as it relates to the Super Bowl, “people are not asking the same kinds of questions they were asking me a month or two months ago.”

“We have been explaining everything,” Ahmed said. “The law enforcement agencies coming to Minneapolis … they will be here to protect everyone, not to harm.”

The family of a prisoner stabbed to death inside Wormwood Scrubs today said: “He should have been safe.”

Khader Ahmed Saleh, 25, was found dead in another inmate’s cell with multiple knife wounds yesterday afternoon. Four inmates have been arrested on suspicion of murder.

The father-of-one was being held ahead of his sentencing next month for drugs offences.

He moved to the UK 13 years ago from Somalia with his mother Amina Dualeh, three older brothers and sister, and lived in Tower Hamlets with his wife Salma Hassan, 20, and their two-year-old son.

Mrs Dualeh, 58, said: “I cannot believe his life has been taken while inside a prison. It is unacceptable. I have lost my son and he is never coming back. Who has the responsibility? I am so sad.”

Mrs Hassan said: “It is appalling. He should have been safe in the prison. Officers should be held accountable.”

His uncle, Duale Yusuf, a Somali community activist, said Mr Saleh had been targeted by a gang inside the prison.

He said: “This tragedy has touched our hearts and the family are broken. We are devastated. He was a very kind person. A nice, quiet person. This is heartbreaking for the family.”

The family said they are planning to organise a protest outside the jail.

The incident comes a month after an inspection report revealed “high levels of serious violence” and chronic staff shortages at the Category B prison.

Extra security measures were introduced after 90 reported assaults on staff in the previous six months.

A Prison Service spokesman said today: “Our sincere condolences are with the family of Mr Saleh.

“Since the last inspection, HMP Wormwood Scrubs has taken decisive action to reduce violence, conducting a full review of safety and security at the prison.

“The prison has now introduced body-worn cameras, additional CCTV and patrol dogs, and will be recruiting 120 extra officers to further improve safety.

“We are working with the police on their investigation and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.”

A spokesman for the CPS said Mr Saleh was being held on remand while awaiting sentencing at the Old Bailey next month after pleading guilty to two counts of supplying class A drugs.

National figures published last week revealed a 25-year high in violence behind bars, with 28,165 incidents in the 12 months to September.

Three of the 295 deaths in prison custody in 2017 were murders.

In October 2016 HMP Pentonville inmate Jamal Mahmoud, 21, was stabbed to death and two others were injured in an attack at the north London.

Two men aged 21, a 20-year-old and a 23-year-old man, who are all prisoners at the jail, have been arrested on suspicion of murder.

WILLMAR, Minn. — A Willmar woman who has been urging city officials to adopt a welcoming city resolution offered her voice in support of a statewide coalition calling on people of faith to fight Islamophobia.

Hamdi Kosar of Willmar joined Muslim and Christian faith leaders Thursday, Feb. 1, at the Dar Al Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington for a rally also aimed at encouraging people to attend their precinct caucuses. The effort was sponsored by the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, ISAIAH, and the ISAIAH Muslim Coalition.

The rally follows controversy over reports that state Reps. Cindy Pugh and Kathy Lohmer had posted a statement on Facebook that there is a plan to “mobilize Muslims to infiltrate our Republican caucuses on Feb. 6.”

According to a Star-Tribune report, Pugh and Lohmer implied in their Facebook post that the Muslim-Americans at a mosque caucus training were not Americans and had a hidden agenda to enact their own laws.

Jeff Johnson, a Hennepin County commissioner and Republican candidate for governor, on Wednesday in a podcast complimented Pugh for notifying Republicans of the alleged Muslim effort to influence Republican caucuses.

Jessica Rohloff, a leader with ISAIAH in Willmar, said the organization has held caucus training sessions in Willmar for those in the Latino, Somali and traditional white communities. People attending the sessions learned how they can speak to their faith values by participating in the caucus of their own choosing, she said.

Many political parties, civic and religious groups conduct caucus training sessions to help citizens understand and practice the Minnesota method of choosing party leaders and formulating the party platform at precinct caucuses.

The caucus process on Tuesday, Feb. 6, will be the first step in a political process that will lead to endorsing candidates for office.

Kosar said the charge that Muslims are seeking to be “infiltrating” caucuses as well as statements that denigrate immigrants are attempts to intimidate.

At the rally in Bloomington, she spoke of how because of her Somali heritage, she was told she did not have a “right” to speak to her city council. She told about how she has heard disparaging comments and, at one time, had her hijab forcibly removed.

“I believe in possibilities,” said Kosar at the rally, emphasizing that she is an American citizen with the same rights as everyone else.

She has not let the negative comments get in the way of her belief in the Willmar community she calls home, and its people. Kosar told those at the rally: “Alongside the angry and fearful people, there are also those who stand besides me.”