MINNEAPOLIS, MN - The irony could not be more palpable.
This week, Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar compared federal immigration enforcement in the United States to conditions in her native Somalia during remarks at a Democratic field hearing.
Yes, you read that right. Somehow, ICE deporting Somalis from Minnesota… is making the United States more like Somalia.
As reported in a recent article from the New York Post, Omar made the comments Friday during a hearing in St. Paul titled “Kidnapped and Disappeared: Trump’s Deadly Assault on Minnesota,” where she criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations carried out under the Trump administration.
“I don’t want to curse, but those of us who escaped places like that, the one place where we thought we would never experience this is the US goddamn states,” Omar said, referring to countries such as Somalia that she fled before immigrating to the United States.
This statement alone raises numerous questions, namely, if places like Somalia are so bad, why are you seemingly so intent on turning America into Somalia?
Omar, who was born in Somalia, went on to say she was “ashamed” of the federal government’s actions, arguing that immigration enforcement tactics were being broadcast internationally and damaging America’s reputation. “We must do everything that we can to bring back the America we all escaped into,” she added.
Omar represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, which has become embroiled in an ongoing scandal regarding billions of dollars in fraud perpetrated by Somali migrants at the cost of American taxpayers. She’s been photographed with some of the offenders.
Naturally, she’s been a vocal critic of Trump for over a decade, in no small part because her particular brand of fraud is much harder to get away with when people actually enforce the law.
Her remarks came amid an increased federal presence in Minneapolis and St. Paul, following large-scale immigration enforcement operations and investigations into fraud schemes in the state.
Federal authorities have deployed roughly 3,000 agents to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area in recent weeks. President Donald Trump has now publicly threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in response to ongoing riots spurred on by Democratic leadership in the state.
Omar’s remarks quickly sparked backlash from Republican lawmakers and conservative commentators, who accused her of demonizing law enforcement and inflaming tensions at a volatile moment, specifically in the wake of the officer-involved shooting involving Renee Good.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) took issue with Omar’s language, writing on X that no member of Congress should “ever” refer to the country as the “U.S. goddamn states,” and questioning what consequences, if any, should follow.
Elon Musk was quick to respond, “Whatever the penalty is for treason.”
Omar doubled down, accusing Republican lawmakers of being comfortable with what she described as an “occupation” of Minnesota cities. It would seem that she herself was comfortable with an occupation of Minnesota cities when the occupiers were Somalians stealing from "goddamn" Americans. “It is appalling for Americans to have to carry their citizen papers only to be told they are not sure those papers are correct,” Omar said. She likewise furthered the claim that ICE operations amounted to unconstitutional checkpoints and detentions, including of U.S. citizens. Again, we have yet to hear her denounce the fraud that took place under her watch, or that seemingly enriched her, at any point. Federal officials have pushed back on those characterizations, maintaining that ICE agents are conducting lawful operations aimed at enforcing immigration law and addressing large-scale fraud. Authorities have repeatedly stated that the increased federal presence is tied to ongoing criminal investigations and enforcement actions, not political retaliation. As for Omar, if America becomes too uncomfortable, she’s welcome to leave.
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