Omar’s Congress Win Includes Somali Speech, Immigration Controversy
Rep. Ilhan Omar speaks in Somali during victory speech, amid ongoing immigration investigation.
2 min read
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) celebrated her re-election victory in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District with a speech in her native Somali language, a move that resonated deeply with her Somali constituents. The speech followed her decisive 76.5% to 16.2% win over Republican John Nagel, securing her fifth term in office.
Video footage captured Omar and her supporters dancing at her election party in a Minneapolis mall before she addressed the crowd in Somali. On X, she posted a video of her post-election speech in English, captioning it: “Minnesota, thank you for welcoming my family with open arms when we arrived here as refugees.”
“This is what it looks like when we lead with compassion, empathy, and courage. This is what it looks like when you give a damn about your neighbors. And this is what it looks like when you go out and vote your values,” she said. “Because when this administration came for Minnesotans, we knew that we could respond by showing up and protecting our neighbors. But we also knew that when Election Day came, that we were going to provide an answer by directly rejecting them in the ballot box.”
“Tonight we get to celebrate our win because we worked for this win. And tomorrow we get to help make our trifecta work for us in creating progress,” she added.
Omar’s win comes despite a series of controversies surrounding her immigration status and allegations of immigration fraud, including suspicions that she married her brother to gain permanent residency. Last month, federal agents raided her Washington, D.C., home in a search conducted by the Department of Homeland Security, which sought to build a case to revoke her U.S. citizenship and potentially deport her, according to The Wall Street Journal.
None of this seemed to affect her re-election in the overwhelmingly Democratic 5th Congressional District, home to one of the largest Somali communities in the country. Following the election, a record-breaking seven Muslims will be serving in Congress, including Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, who will be the first Muslim in the U.S. Senate. Like Omar, El-Sayed also used foreign words during his victory speech: “My name is Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed. … Tonight we can turn that inshallah into alhamdulillah.”
In Arabic, inshallah means “God willing” and alhamdulillah means “Praise be to God.”
“MICHIGAN, WE DID IT!”
El-Sayed’s campaign was also scrutinized for his ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, including his past support for the group’s purging of the media and police in Egypt.
Source: Daily Wire
