President Donald Trump ignited a firestorm of controversy today after making a series of derogatory comments aimed at Somali immigrants and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar during a televised Cabinet meeting. The remarks quickly drew condemnation from Democratic leaders and immigrant advocacy groups nationwide.
Speaking directly from the White House, the former president explicitly labeled the Somali community and the representative as “garbage,” stating, “I don’t want them in our country.” He then suggested that they should “go back to where they came from” to fix their home countries.
The televised tirade appeared to be linked to recent reports regarding alleged fraud cases centered in Minnesota’s Somali diaspora, an issue which federal prosecutors are currently investigating. Trump used the fraud claims to justify his blanket condemnation of the entire immigrant community.
The former president further asserted that Somalia was “no good for a reason” and claimed that the U.S. was nearing a “tipping point” if it continued to “take in garbage” people from certain nations. His comments underscored his hardline stance on immigration.
Representative Ilhan Omar, the first Somali-American congresswoman, swiftly responded to the attack on social media. She reposted some of the former president’s comments about her, stating simply that his “obsession with me is creepy.”
These widespread comments have significantly intensified feelings of vulnerability among Somali Americans in Minnesota. Community leaders expressed concern that the actions of a small group involved in the alleged fraud are unfairly burdening the entire, hardworking population with inflammatory national rhetoric.
