Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has called to “denaturalize and deport” Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar after she made critical remarks about President Donald Trump and the trajectory of the United States.
Why It Matters
Uthmeier’s remarks intertwine with the politically divisive issue of immigration and the Trump administration’s continued efforts to mass deport immigrants and prevent entry for some others. Critics of the administration have protested excessive raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and clamps on free speech regarding topics like Gaza.
What To Know
Uthmeier made his post on Tuesday on X in response to remarks Omar made on the news program Democracy Now about the broader U.S. military presence nationwide and how she never “witnessed anything like that” while growing up in a dictatorship in Somalia.
“To have democracy, a beacon of hope for the world, to now be turned into one of the worst countries where the military are in our streets without any regard for people’s constitutional rights; while our president is spending millions of dollars propping himself up like a failed dictator with a military parade—it is really shocking and should be a wake-up call for all Americans to say this is not the country we were born in, the country we believe in, the country our Founding Fathers imagined, and this is not the country supported by our Constitution, our ideals, our values,” Omar said.
A spokesperson for Omar declined to comment to Newsweek on Uthmeier’s remarks. Newsweek reached out to Uthmeier’s office via email for comment.
Omar, a Democrat first elected in 2019, is a naturalized citizen and has lived in the U.S. since the 1990s. She became the first African refugee and Muslim woman to be elected to Congress.
Uthmeier was appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis in February after previous attorney general Ashley Moody became a U.S. Senator. He previously served as DeSantis’ presidential campaign manager.
DeSantis has made similar remarks about Omar in the past.
In January 2024, while campaigning to represent the GOP as a presidential candidate, he called for Omar’s deportation following her viral remarks to Somali American constituents regarding a deal struck at the time by Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland with landlocked Ethiopia, providing access to the sea.
Omar purportedly said that she was “Somalian first, Muslim second” and “here to protect the interests of Somalia from inside the U.S. system.”
She later refuted the retelling of her statements, calling the clip viewed millions of times “not only slanted but completely off,” adding that she “wouldn’t expect more from these propagandists.”
Other Republicans, including Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, have also called for Omar’s deportation. Earlier this year, Texas State Representative Brandon Gill circulated a petition to deport Omar.
Legal and immigration experts told Newsweek that calling for the deportation of a naturalized citizen is shortsighted and not legally realistic.
What People Are Saying
Stephen Schnably, a law professor at the University of Miami, previously told Newsweek: “It’s just not in the cards, deportation as punishment for a U.S. citizen. That is something that just cannot be done.”
Immigration lawyer Rosanna Berardi previously told Newsweek: “The Immigration and Nationality Act allows for deportation/removal of individuals due to criminal activities, violations of status or violation of immigration law. Deportation for expressing political views, particularly those covered by the First Amendment, is not legally supported. Political speech does not constitute a valid basis for deportation.”
What To Know
Also on Tuesday, a federal judge in Florida found Uthmeier to be in civil contempt over a ruling that put on hold a new state law making it a misdemeanor for people living in the U.S. illegally to enter the state, according to the Associated Press.
“If being held in contempt is what it costs to defend the rule of law and stand firmly behind President Trump’s agenda on illegal immigration, so be it,” Uthmeier said afterwards on social media.
The post Florida’s GOP Attorney General Urges Deportation of Democratic Lawmaker appeared first on Newsweek.
