ALBAWABA- U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday launched a string of personal attacks against Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and the Somali immigrant community, calling the congresswoman “garbage” and declaring, “I don’t want Somalis in the U.S.”
Trump praises Syrian transition, warns Israel against actions that could destabilize borderThe remarks, made during a White House press briefing, came amid heightened tensions following a National Guard shooting in Minnesota and broader deportation initiatives.
Addressing questions about an Afghan national suspected in the shooting of two National Guard members last week, Trump pivoted to criticize Somali refugees.
“Ilhan Omar is garbage. She's garbage. Her friends are garbage. These aren’t people that work… These are people that do nothing but complain,” he said, dismissing Omar’s critiques of his constitutional overreach as hypocritical given her Somali heritage. “She comes from a country that’s practically no country, all crime, no government… and she tells us how to run America? We’re sending them back.”
Omar, a naturalized U.S. citizen who fled Somalia’s civil war as a child and has represented Minnesota’s 5th District since 2019, responded on X: “This president’s bigotry won’t silence our contributions to this nation. Somalis built Minnesota stronger. Your hate only exposes your weakness.”
Advocacy groups, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations, condemned Trump’s remarks as “racist scapegoating,” warning of increased risks for Somali communities, which number around 80,000 in Minnesota.
The outburst aligns with a pattern of attacks on Omar and Somali immigrants, including a failed House resolution last month to censure Omar over her social media comments, and debunked claims that she married her brother for citizenship.
Trump has repeatedly portrayed Somali immigrants as welfare abusers and criminals, echoing his November 28 post on Truth Social alleging Somali “gangs” are “taking over” Minnesota amid a limited state fraud probe. The timing coincides with his recent order to review green cards from 19 countries, including Somalia, citing national security concerns.
Since his January 2025 inauguration, Trump has revived and expanded his “Muslim ban,” signing Executive Order 14161 to screen immigrants for “hateful ideologies.” A June 4 travel ban suspended entry for nationals from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Somalia, and Iran, with partial restrictions for seven others.
The measures have stranded thousands, separated families, and prompted lawsuits from the ACLU, which labels the policy discriminatory against Muslim-majority and crisis-hit nations.
Trump’s frequent attacks on migrants, labeling them “animals” and “invaders”, have coincided with over 500,000 deportations in 2025.
