Ilhan Omar Condemns Trump's Remarks on Minnesota's Somali Community

Representative Ilhan Omar has strongly criticized President Donald Trump's recent remarks about Minnesota's Somali community, describing them as "completely disgusting." In a CBS interview, Omar emphasized that such "hateful rhetoric" could lead to "dangerous actions by people who listen to the president."

President Trump, during a cabinet meeting, referred to the Somali community as "garbage" and suggested they should be sent back to Somalia. He further commented on Somalia's state, saying, "Look at their nation. Look how bad their nation is. It's not even a nation. It's just people walking around killing each other."

The Trump administration has imposed restrictions on immigration cases for Somalis in the U.S., along with individuals from 18 other countries. In response, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey signed an executive order prohibiting the use of city-owned properties for immigration enforcement operations.

Omar also addressed recent fraud cases involving Minnesota's Somali community, particularly the Feeding Our Future scandal, where individuals were convicted of misappropriating federal funds intended for child nutrition programs. She condemned the fraud as "reprehensible" and denied allegations that the stolen funds were funneled to terrorist organizations in Somalia. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that his department is investigating potential links between the fraud and al-Shabaab, a terrorist group in Somalia. Omar responded, "If there was a linkage... then that is a failure of the FBI and our court system in not figuring that out and basically charging them with these charges."

Additionally, Bessent claimed that individuals involved in the fraud had donated to Omar's campaign. Omar clarified, "We sent that money back a couple years ago."