Intensifying the attack on Somalia-born American Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, US President Donald Trump once again targeted her immigration background. On Friday, Trump alleged that Omar had come to America illegally and had married her brother to get entry here.
Trump made this controversial claim while reiterating his strict immigration stance after an Afghan civilian opened fire on two National Guard soldiers near the White House.
Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump described Omar as America’s worst lawmaker. He said that Omar, who represents Minnesota, had married her brother to get immigration benefits.
Trump wrote, “Ilhan Omar, who always wears her hijab, probably entered the United States illegally because it is against the rules to not marry her brother.
“She does nothing but complain hatefully about our country, its Constitution and how badly they are treated.”
He further called Somalia a decadent, backward and crime-filled country.
However, there is no evidence that Ilhan Omar ever married any relative or committed immigration fraud. Trump did not even provide any facts for his claims.
Who is Ilhan Omar?
Omar was born in Somalia and had to leave the country at the age of eight during the civil war. She came to America in 1995 after living in a refugee camp in Kenya for four years and became an American citizen in 2000. Omar, a Democrat leader and known for her anti-India stance, was elected to Congress for the fourth time in 2024.
In 2002, she married Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi in a religious ceremony and they had two children. In 2009, Omar married Ahmed Elmi, but the couple separated in 2011. In 2012, Omar and her first husband Hirsi had their third child. In 2017, Omar divorced Elmi. The next year he married Hirsi again, but divorced her too in 2020. She is currently married to political consultant Tim Mynatt.
A report in UK’s Daily Mail claimed that Omar had told his friends that Elmi was actually his biological brother and that the marriage was for immigration purposes. But this claim was never independently confirmed.
Why did Trump’s attacks increase?
Trump’s sharp attack on Omar has come at a time when he has announced the end of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalis living in Minnesota. There are currently about 700 Somali immigrants living in America. Apart from this, America is going to re-examine the green cards issued to people coming from 19 countries including Somalia.
Trump further said, “Somali gangs are roaming the streets looking for victims, while our good people stay in their homes praying that no harm comes to them.”
It is noteworthy that this is not the first time that Trump and his MAGA supporters have targeted Congresswoman Omar in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Trump attacked Omar’s Somali heritage and advised her to leave America.
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