Ron DeSantis Says ‘Denaturalize and Deport’ Ilhan Omar

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., plays a recording of a death threat left on her voicemail in the
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
Hannah Knudsen

It is time to expel Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) from Congress and denaturalize and deport her, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Tuesday.

“Expel from Congress, denaturalize and deport!” DeSantis, a former Republican candidate for president, said on X on Tuesday. The remark was in reaction to a video of the Muslim congresswoman speaking to American Somalians, telling them that her first priority in office is not America, but Somalia.

Ron DeSantis

Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during the Family Leader’s Thanksgiving Family Forum, Friday, Nov. 17, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

And indeed, the pro-Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions lawmaker proudly described herself as “Somalian first” and “Muslim second”:

“We as Somalians we love each other. There are areas of friction that led us to kill each other, but in reality, we are an organized society — brother and sisters, people of the same blood,” she said, adding, “People who know they are Somalians first, Muslims second, who protect one another, come to each other’s aid and to the aid of other Muslims too.”

Further, she explained that Somalian interests are safe as long as she is in office, stating that the U.S. government will “only do what Somalians in the U.S. tell them to do.”

“They will do what we want and nothing else. They must follow our orders and that is how we will safeguard the interests of Somalia,” she said.

“We live in the U.S., pay taxes in the U.S., and have a real voice,” she said, adding that “the U.S. is a country where one of your daughter is in Congress to represent your interest.”

“For as long as I am in the U.S. Congress, Somalia will never be in danger,” she said, telling Somalians to “sleep in comfort, knowing I am here to protect the interests of Somalia from inside the U.S. system”:

Many commenters pointed out that Omar never appeared to refer to herself as an American — regarding her allegiance to Somalia as her number one priority throughout her remarks.

Her comments prompted outrage among colleagues and others, some of whom said she should “resign in disgrace.”

“Ilhan Omar’s appalling, Somalia-first comments are a slap in the face to the Minnesotans she was elected to serve and a direct violation of her oath of office,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) wrote, adding, “She should resign in disgrace”:

“Terrorist sympathizer Ilhan Omar, in her own words: Somalian first. Muslim second. She never mentions America,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) remarked. “She flaunts using her position as [a] congresswoman to protect Somalia’s border while our border is invaded by MILLIONS of illegals who are a danger to America.”

“These people hate America, and they’re so emboldened by the Democrats’ disdain for our country, they’re not even trying to hide it anymore,” she continued:

Donald Trump Jr. also weighed in, urging everyone to “listen to it all.”

“It’s not hyperbole when we say our representatives are putting America last,” he wrote:

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