Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has called for U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) to be “de-naturalized and deported” after she told a crowd of Somalis that she puts the interests of Somalia before those of the United States.
Omar delivered the controversial remarks while speaking to a crowd of Somalis at a hotel in her Minnesota district. The congresswoman told the crowd that she has worked tirelessly in Congress to represent the interests of Somalis while also pushing back against formal recognition of Somaliland, an unrecognized state in the Horn of Africa that has struck land deals with neighboring states.
Speaking in her native language, Omar called for the reclamation of land currently located within the boundaries of Kenya and Ethiopia. “A couple of days ago, we heard some people who call themselves Somalis (Somaliland) or claim to be Somalis have signed a [memorandum of understanding] with Ethiopia on access to the sea… Many Somalians have personally called me to encourage me to speak to the U.S. government and help Somalia,” she said.
“The U.S. government will only do what Somalians in the U.S. tell them to do,” Omar continued. “They must do what we want and nothing else… The U.S. is a country where one of your daughters (myself) is in Congress to represent your interests.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had a short and simple response for the “squad” member. “Expel from Congress, denaturalize and deport!” wrote the Florida governor in an X post.
Omar, who was born in Somalia, has been serving in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2019.
She is currently facing a formidable challenge from former Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels, who narrowly lost to the far-left lawmaker in 2022.
Samuels has positioned himself as a more centrist alternative to one of the most far-left members of Congress. He has maintained that the narrow loss in 2022 shows that Omar is beatable and is confident that he will easily carry the deep blue district, which Omar managed to win with nearly 74 percent of the vote.
Omar narrowly defeated the Minneapolis politician by a little more than 2,000 votes in 2022 after Samuels took aim at her “defund the police” stance.
