“I thought few Somalis had the means to get here without (legal) assistance.”
Many folks save up the money, or have it in their families.
Some people who have already emigrated, help fund other family member’s travel, or folks borrow the money, as an investment.
I talked to a Somali on a plane, who had emigrated to a Scandinavian Country about five years prior. He had not worked (on the books) for the whole time, relying on welfare, and only required to take language classes. He had been sending a portion of his welfare payments back to Somalia as investments, buying cattle, and small batches of imported goods for resale. It was enough to raise his status back home considerably, as a successful provider.
He mentioned that most of the Somalis in the US came in from Mexico, but he preferred going to Sweden, because he thought that there would be more money, and a better social (dating) scene. He recounted that it was common knowledge in Somalia about how to get into various Western countries, and how their benefits worked - it is a very attractive and popular career choice for young men.
Interesting; thank you! I didn’t know they felt secure investing in anything back home, since for such a long time they had no functioning central government.