US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has condemned President Donald Trump after he described Somali immigrants—including Omar herself—as “garbage,” in one of his harshest anti-immigration comments to date.
Trump made the remarks during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, accusing Somali immigrants in Minnesota of contributing “nothing” to the country and telling them to “leave the US.” The president also labelled Omar “incompetent” and a “terrible person.”
Omar, a former child refugee from Somalia who has represented Minnesota in Congress since 2019, fired back on social media, calling Trump’s fixation with her “creepy” and urging him to “get the help he desperately needs.”
Trump has amplified his immigration rhetoric in recent weeks following the fatal shooting of two National Guard troops in Washington, DC, which authorities say was carried out by an Afghan man evacuated in 2021. The president has since suspended immigration from what he calls “third-world countries,” including Somalia, and ordered a review of permanent residents from 19 nations.
Minnesota is home to one of the largest Somali communities in the United States. While the group has historically faced higher poverty and unemployment rates, a 2021 Minnesota Chamber of Commerce report noted significant progress in workforce participation, income levels, and education.
Advocacy groups and progressive lawmakers have condemned Trump’s statements, accusing him of using racist attacks to distract from his administration’s challenges. Justice Democrats called the comments “disgustingly racist,” saying Trump was “stoking hate and dividing communities.”
The president has frequently targeted Omar and Somali immigrants since his first term, including through the 2017 “Muslim ban” that restricted travel from several Muslim-majority countries, Somalia among them. He also recently mocked Omar’s Islamic hijab and criticised Minnesota’s governor while alleging the existence of “Somali gangs” in the state.
Trump’s latest remarks have sparked renewed debate about the safety and treatment of immigrant communities as the political climate in the US grows increasingly charged.
