WASHINGTON — Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) issued one of her strongest public rebukes yet to President Donald Trump’s escalating anti-Somali rhetoric, telling CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday that Somali Americans are “part of this nation and we’re going to keep contributing no matter how many times extremists try to erase us.”

The remark—which has already surpassed 450,000 views on X—came days after Trump launched into a now-viral tirade during a televised Cabinet meeting in which he labeled Somali immigrants “garbage,” claimed they “destroyed our country,” and renewed his call for Omar’s deportation. He also described Somalia as “not even a nation,” saying its people “come from hell and do nothing but complain.”

Omar, a Somali-born refugee who arrived in the U.S. as a child and became one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress, called the president’s comments “completely disgusting” and warned of real-world consequences.

“These are Americans he is calling garbage,” she said.
“This kind of hateful rhetoric and this level of dehumanizing can lead to dangerous actions by people who listen to the president.”

A Feud Reignited Amid Minnesota’s Expanding Fraud Scandal

Trump’s remarks come as federal investigators continue to probe a massive Minnesota social-services fraud scheme—including the $250 million “Feeding Our Future” case and a separate billion-dollar Medicaid investigation tied to autism therapy providers. Dozens of defendants are Somali-American, a fact the president has seized on to attack the entire community.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent escalated the rhetoric last week, alleging that stolen funds may have been funneled overseas, possibly even to al-Shabaab—a claim Omar forcefully rejected.

“If such a thing happened, that is a failure of the FBI and our court system,” she told CBS, adding that no evidence of terrorism financing has been produced in court.

Omar emphasized she was among the first lawmakers to demand oversight of the child-nutrition programs years ago, calling the fraud “reprehensible” while insisting the wrongdoing reflects a tiny fraction of Minnesota’s 80,000 Somali Americans.

Reframing the Narrative: Contributions, Not Caricatures

In her full interview and in a December 5 New York Times op-ed, Omar spotlighted Somali Minnesotans’ economic and civic role:

Somali-owned businesses generate over $500 million annually in Minnesota.

Nationally, Somali refugees have higher entrepreneurship rates than the U.S. average.

The community has produced doctors, teachers, police officers, nonprofit leaders—and a member of Congress.

Refugee integration in Minnesota has been cited as one of the state’s major workforce strengths.

“Somali Americans are citizens,” she said. “We are a productive part of this nation, and we will continue to be.”

Her post on X doubled down:
“We’re not going anywhere.”

Supporters flooded her feed with stories of Somali nurses, veterans, and small-business owners. Conservative accounts countered by questioning contributions and amplifying the fraud news—many veering into broad generalizations about Somali culture.

Politics and Polarization: A Familiar Pattern

The exchange reflects a long-running pattern between Omar and Trump:

In 2019, Trump rallies chanted “Send her back!” after the president told Omar to “go back” to Somalia despite her U.S. citizenship.

In 2024, conservative operatives circulated a mistranslated Somali-language speech to imply dual loyalty.

In 2025, Trump again revived the debunked conspiracy that Omar married her brother for immigration benefits.

Omar dismissed the president’s fixation as “an unhealthy obsession” and political distraction.

“He knows he is failing,” she wrote in the New York Times,
“and so he is reverting to what he knows best: stoking bigotry.”

NPR, Reuters, and Al Jazeera each framed Trump’s comments as a deliberate escalation intended to rally his base and redirect attention from policy turmoil and internal White House challenges.

Community Fear and Federal Enforcement

ICE has already begun increased operations in the Minneapolis–St. Paul region following Trump’s directive to “reexamine” Somali green-card holders and asylum approvals. Local leaders warn these sweeps—coupled with Trump’s rhetoric—are heightening public fear.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey signed an executive order barring city resources from being used for immigration enforcement, calling it a matter of “community safety.”

Omar expressed similar concerns:

“We have seen what happens when immigrant communities are vilified from the highest office in the land.”

A District Rallying Behind Its Congresswoman

On X, Omar’s post declaring Somali Americans “here to stay” drew both fierce support and fierce opposition. But among her constituents in Minneapolis’s 5th District—home to the country’s largest Somali diaspora—her stance has resonated.

Advocacy leaders say they’re preparing for more federal scrutiny, but also more solidarity.

As one local organizer wrote:

“We survived war, we survived displacement, and we will survive Donald Trump’s insults.”