Ilhan Omar says Trump attacks on Somali immigrants ‘deflect attention’ from scrutiny

Transcript:

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

For more on President Trump’s comments about the Somali community, we’re joined by Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. She’s represented Minnesota’s 5th congressional district since 2019. She is a Democrat who came to the U.S. from Somalia when she was 12 and is, of course, now an American citizen and represents the largest Somali American community in the country. Welcome, Congresswoman. Thank you so much for joining us.

ILHAN OMAR: No. Thank you for having me.

MARTIN: You’ve been a favorite target of President Trump since you were elected, but it cannot have been easy to hear him make these comments about the entire Somali community. I just wondered what went through your mind when he said things like they contribute nothing and should go back to where they came from and so on.

OMAR: His vile rant really wasn’t a surprise to me. He has trafficked in racism, in xenophobia, in bigotry and Islamophobia for as long as he has held office. This was the president who called African nations [expletive] countries. This is a president that when he was running for reelection said Haitians were eating cats and dogs. And so for me, I mostly feel shame. I feel shame for him. I feel shame for our country. When he does these kind of unhinged rants, he showcases to not just all Americans, but to the world, that we elected just a really crazy, deranged old man who does not have the ability to control himself.

MARTIN: As you noted, making derogatory comments about immigrants has been part of the president’s political brand, political profile, if you will, from the beginning. But do you have a theory about why his focus is now on Somalis?

OMAR: Well, I believe that he’s always trying to find a way to deflect attention whenever he is under scrutiny, and we know that in this moment, he and his secretary of defense are being accused of possibly committing war crimes. We are seeing the jobs numbers not living up to the promises that he made. We are seeing the American people feel the rise of costs on goods. We’ve heard him try to force and oversee the pedophile protection party in trying to protect the Epstein files. And so he’s got a litany of things that he doesn’t want to answer for. What he doesn’t understand is that our community is not one to be intimidated or scapegoated.

MARTIN: Along with these comments, there are multiple news reports suggesting that the administration is expected to carry out ICE operations in Somali neighborhoods. Now, the head of immigration enforcement says that these neighborhoods aren’t being targeted, but that they are going to pursue people with removal orders, et cetera. What are you telling people? What are you saying to your constituents?

OMAR: You know, Somali Minnesotans have been preparing. We knew that when he got into office that he wasn’t just going to go after people who are undocumented, that he was actually going to go after immigrants in general and possibly American citizens. There is a lot of chaos. There’s a lot of confusion. There’s a lot of noise, but the community is getting the support it needs, and it feels like it’s on a playing field that they feel protected.

MARTIN: This is also taking place, though, at a time when there are reports of widespread fraud involving social service programs in Minnesota. According to prosecutors, as reported in a story in The New York Times, like, all but eight of the 86 people charged in three different fraud cases – one involving meals, one involving housing, one involving autism therapy – are of Somali ancestry. So I have two questions about that. First of all, do you have any reaction to that information?

OMAR: Well, I’m grateful that, you know, we have laws that bring accountability to the taxpayers that have been defrauded, and they are going to jail for a really long time.

MARTIN: Do you have a theory about why it is that such a large percentage of the people implicated in these cases are of Somali ancestry?

OMAR: I’m sure that we will learn from a lot of the cases that have gone to court on why they were able to, you know, commit the fraud.

MARTIN: Are you concerned that an entire community is being scapegoated because of the actions of this group of people?

OMAR: It is. It’s shameful in many ways because, you know, we are a country that believes the crime of one is not the crime of many. And, you know, these are people who are being prosecuted, and it is not fair to scapegoat the whole Somali community of whom have been law-abiding and grateful people that have chosen to make Minnesota their home.

MARTIN: That is Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. She’s a Democrat from Minnesota. Congresswoman, thank you so much for your time.

OMAR: Thank you for having me.

(SOUNDBITE OF EVENINGS’ “BABE”)