WASHINGTON — December 8, 2025.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) forcefully rebuked President Donald Trump on Sunday, calling his latest remarks about Somali Americans “completely disgusting” and warning that such rhetoric could provoke violence from supporters who interpret his language as a green light for hostility.

Appearing on CBS’s Face the Nation, Omar—herself a Somali-born, naturalized U.S. citizen—responded directly to Trump’s comments during a recent Cabinet meeting, where the president referred to Somali immigrants as “garbage,” suggested they “contribute nothing,” and said Minnesota’s Somali community should be “sent back” to Somalia.

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

Her remarks come amid escalating political tensions surrounding Minnesota’s Somali community following a sweeping federal crackdown connected to COVID-era welfare fraud schemes—some of the largest ever prosecuted in the United States.

Trump Targets Minnesota Somalis in Broadside Attack

During a televised Cabinet meeting, Trump launched into one of his harshest tirades to date about Somali immigrants, saying:

“These Somalians have taken billions of dollars out of our country — billions and billions.
Look at their nation. It’s not even a nation. Just people walking around killing each other.”

He claimed the community had “destroyed our country,” and ordered a freeze on all immigration processing for Somalis already inside the United States. Somalia is one of 19 countries now subject to Trump-era restrictions as the administration widens a national security lens over immigrants from so-called “high-risk” regions.

In response to expected enforcement surges, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey signed an executive order prohibiting federal, state, and local agencies from using city-owned property—including parking ramps and garages—to support immigration raids.

Omar: “The President Knows He Is Failing”

Omar’s CBS appearance echoed arguments from her New York Times op-ed published Thursday, in which she accused Trump of weaponizing race and religion to distract from faltering economic promises.

“The president knows he is failing,” Omar wrote. “He is reverting to what he knows best: trying to divert attention by stoking bigotry.”

She argued that Somali Americans—tens of thousands of whom live in the Minneapolis–St. Paul metro area—are being unfairly vilified for the actions of a small number of individuals involved in pandemic-era fraud.

The Fraud Scandal Looming Over Minnesota’s Somali Community

Minnesota has been engulfed in a sprawling federal investigation into fraudulent meal-reimbursement, medical-care, and childcare schemes, most prominently through the nonprofit Feeding Our Future.

Key points:

Federal prosecutors say the pandemic program was exploited to steal more than $250 million.

Dozens of individuals—many of Somali descent—have been convicted over the past three years.

Investigations revealed fake invoices, nonexistent food distribution sites, and elaborate money-laundering structures.

The founder of Feeding Our Future was convicted in March.

House Republicans have launched a parallel inquiry into how Minnesota officials—including Gov. Tim Walz, now a central figure in the controversy—handled fraud warnings before the federal crackdown.

Bessent: Investigating Possible Overseas Diversion of Funds

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent inflamed the debate further on Sunday, saying his agency is examining whether any stolen Minnesota welfare dollars were funneled abroad, including to al-Shabaab, the Somalia-based terrorist group allied with al-Qaeda.

“We are tracking these funds both to the Middle East and to Somalia,” Bessent said.
“We will determine what the uses of that money were.”

House Republicans have echoed this claim, though no terrorism link has been proven in court documents.

Omar dismissed the allegations:

“If there was a linkage… then that is a failure of the FBI and our court system in not figuring that out.”

She said all campaign donations from individuals later charged in the fraud schemes were returned years ago, a point her office has stated repeatedly since 2022.

A Community Under Pressure

Minnesota’s Somali community—one of the largest in the United States, with over 80,000 residents—has become a lightning rod in national politics:

Trump frames the community as emblematic of what he calls “failed refugee programs.”

Omar insists Somalis in Minnesota are patriotic Americans unfairly maligned by racist generalizations.

Local officials fear increased ICE operations could fuel distrust and drive immigrants into the shadows.

Omar warned on CBS that rhetoric portraying immigrants as subhuman can escalate:

“It’s really important to remember that this kind of dehumanizing can lead to violence.”

Her comments reference prior incidents where Trump’s language has coincided with spikes in threats against her and the Somali community at large.

Where the Investigation Goes Next

The Treasury Department is expected to release additional findings in the coming weeks. Meanwhile:

ICE raids are intensifying across the Twin Cities.

House Republicans plan hearings with Gov. Walz and state education officials.

Omar continues to demand investigations but warns the Somali community cannot be smeared wholesale.

As both sides escalate their narratives, Minnesota has become ground zero for a national debate over immigration, fraud, enforcement, and the line between criticism and dehumanization.