By HAN News Desk
WASHINGTON — Senior Democratic lawmakers have sharply criticised former President Donald Trump for making a series of inflammatory remarks targeting Somali Americans, including immigrant and refugee families. In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, Representatives Gregory W. Meeks and Sara Jacobs, along with Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Cory Booker, denounced Trump’s comments as “xenophobic and unacceptable.”
The lawmakers said Trump’s remarks disparaging Somalia, Somali Americans and Somali immigrants in the United States — including a sitting member of Congress, Representative Ilhan Omar — amounted to an attack on an immigrant community that has long contributed to American society. They added that instead of using the influence of the presidency to unite the country, Trump had chosen to target a community whose majority are law-abiding and play a positive role in the nation’s social and economic life.
Their statement followed Trump’s comments during a televised Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, where he claimed Somalis “ripped off” billions of dollars from Minnesota each year and “contribute nothing,” referring to the state’s large Somali American population. He went on to say that Somalia was “no good,” adding that “their country stinks, and we don’t want them in our country.” Trump also warned that the US was “going the wrong way” if it continued accepting “garbage” from abroad.
Despite backlash from lawmakers and civil rights groups, Trump doubled down on Wednesday, saying Somalia was “not even a nation” and describing it as a place where people “walk around killing each other.” He further targeted Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, saying she should not be allowed to serve in Congress and should be “thrown the hell out of our country.”
Democratic lawmakers warned that Trump’s rhetoric threatens domestic unity and carries broader international consequences. They argued that inflammatory language of this kind undermines US interests, fuels anti-American sentiment abroad and creates openings for extremist groups such as Al-Shabaab and ISIS to exploit.
Since his 2016 campaign, Trump has repeatedly criticised immigrants from certain countries, often portraying them as criminals or threats, a pattern that has drawn widespread condemnation from rights organisations. Historians note that the United States has a long history of discrimination against new immigrant groups — including Chinese, Irish and Italian communities — who were initially met with hostility before eventually becoming part of the country’s diverse social fabric.
