Ilhan Omar Accuses Trump of Targeting Somali Immigrants to Distract From His Own Scrutiny

Representative Ilhan Omar is pushing back hard against recent rhetoric from Donald Trump about Somali immigrants, arguing that his comments are less about policy and more about distraction. In her view, the former president’s sharp focus on Somali communities isn’t accidental—it’s a way to redirect public attention away from his own legal and political troubles.

Omar, who was born in Somalia and came to the United States as a refugee, has long been a lightning rod in national politics. She represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, home to one of the largest Somali communities in the United States. When Trump singles out Somali immigrants, Omar sees a familiar pattern: elevate fear, attack a vulnerable group, and rally a political base by painting immigrants as a threat.

According to Omar, this strategy works in two ways. First, it stokes resentment and suspicion toward immigrants, especially Muslims and Africans, who often have less power to defend themselves in the national conversation. Second, it shifts the spotlight away from Trump’s own record—ongoing legal cases, controversies from his presidency, and questions about his conduct and fitness for office. By making Somali immigrants the story, she argues, Trump keeps himself from being the central subject of scrutiny.

The congresswoman also emphasizes that Trump’s rhetoric doesn’t exist in a vacuum; it filters down into real-world consequences for ordinary people. When national figures speak about immigrants as criminals, invaders, or burdens, community members often feel the impact in the form of harassment, discrimination, and a rising sense of fear. Somali families, she notes, already face challenges adjusting to a new country—navigating language barriers, employment, housing, and education. Adding political scapegoating on top of that can make daily life feel even more precarious.

Omar’s criticism also touches on what she says is a broader failure to address real policy issues. Instead of focusing on immigration reform, integration, or improving public safety and economic opportunity for everyone, she argues that Trump’s attacks create an illusion of action while sidestepping substance. Talking tough about Somali immigrants on a campaign stage may energize some voters, but it doesn’t fix broken systems or help working families—immigrant or not—pay their bills, access health care, or feel secure in their neighborhoods.

At the same time, Omar’s comments highlight a deeper debate about what it means to be American. Somali immigrants and their children are increasingly visible in business, politics, education, and community leadership. Many are U.S. citizens, voters, and taxpayers. When they are portrayed as perpetual outsiders, Omar warns, it sends a message that some Americans’ belonging will always be questioned, no matter how much they contribute.

Her response to Trump’s remarks is also a call to the media and the public to look beyond soundbites. She’s urging people to pay attention not only to what is being said about Somali immigrants, but why it’s being said, and what stories are being pushed into the background at the same time. Are we talking about jobs, health care, corruption, and democracy? Or are we being pulled into an endless cycle of outrage that leaves root problems untouched?

Omar’s allies see her as defending both her community and a broader principle: that no group should be used as a political shield against accountability. Her critics, however, often accuse her of playing identity politics or being overly sensitive to criticism of immigration policy. Omar counters that there’s a difference between debating policy and demonizing entire groups of people—and that much of Trump’s language falls squarely into the latter category.

Ultimately, Omar’s warning is about priorities and responsibility. Leaders can either use their platforms to bring people together around real solutions or to divide them with fear and resentment. By calling out Trump’s attacks on Somali immigrants as a diversion from scrutiny, she’s challenging voters to look past the easy blame game and ask tougher questions: Who actually benefits when immigrants are cast as the problem? And what issues are being quietly ignored while the nation argues over headlines and rallies?

For Omar, the answer is clear: focusing on Somali immigrants is not about protecting America—it’s about protecting one man from deeper examination. And she’s urging Americans not to fall for it.