“I do not want to curse, but those of us who escaped places like that, the one place where we thought we would never experience this is the US godd*mn states.”
US Rep. Ilhan Omar referred to the United States as the “goddamn states” while speaking at a Democratic field hearing in St. Paul focused on federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota.
Omar made the comments during a hearing titled “Kidnapped and Disappeared: Trump’s Deadly Assault on Minnesota,” where she sharply slammed Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations and compared recent federal actions to authoritarian regimes she said she fled as a refugee, according to the Dallas Express.
“I do not want to curse, but those of us who escaped places like that, the one place where we thought we would never experience this is the US godd*mn states,” Omar said.
She went on to say she was “ashamed” of what she described as federal enforcement actions being “broadcast to the rest of the world,” adding that people had contacted her asking whether such conduct was truly happening in America.
https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2012691969047203984
Video of Omar’s comments went viral on social media following the hearing, drawing renewed attention to tensions between Democratic officials and federal immigration authorities.
The comments came as federal enforcement activity continues to ramp up in Minnesota amid a broader national immigration crackdown under the Trump administration.
US Customs and Border Protection has reported historically low nationwide encounters and zero releases by Border Patrol for eight consecutive months.
Omar, who was born in Somalia and allegedly became a naturalized US citizen in 2000, represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District and has long opposed ICE enforcement actions in the Twin Cities.
Federal officials, however, have said recent ICE operations in Minnesota are focused on individuals with criminal records, including those accused or convicted of serious offenses. Omar’s remarks also came with the spread of a separate viral video from Minneapolis showing a confrontation between ICE agents and protesters during an enforcement operation. In the footage, an agent is heard telling individuals blocking a vehicle, “We’re trying to arrest a child sex offender. That’s who you guys are protecting. Insane!”
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