Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) is circulating a petition calling for Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) to be arrested and deported back to “where she belongs.”
Conservatives have been tearing into Omar, a Somali-American member of the progressive group of Democrats known as the “Squad,” for offering advice to undocumented migrants that may encounter U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
“I strongly advise Somali people and individuals, that if they ever ask you something, they should really try to understand that you are absolutely not obligated to answer their questions at all,” Omar said in a translated video. “You can simply say that it’s just a little too much, or that you really don’t have to respond to them.”
The clip quickly drew fury from right-wingers.
“She’s literally at an event in Minnesota where she’s coaching Somali illegals on how not to cooperate with law enforcement,” commentator Dave Rubin rebuked. “This should kick her out of Congress immediately.”
And Elon Musk accused her of breaking the law “outright.”
“Every single person in this country deserves to know their rights. That’s legal,” Omar countered, adding that the video was “manipulated” and she was not in attendance at the event in question.
But Gill, the Republican lawmaker from Texas, is taking the criticism to another level—calling for more than just Omar’s removal from Congress.
“Friend, we should have never let Ilhan Omar into our country,” an email sent by Gill’s office stated. “And frankly, America would be a much better place if she were to be
sent back to Somalia.”
Gill’s email went on to accuse Omar of hosting free workshops for undocumented Somalians, before claiming she “is more loyal to illegal Somalians than she is to the United States, or the office she was elected to.”
“If you’re as sick and tired of it as | am, sign my petition and let’s send her back to Somalia where she belongs,” the email concluded.
Omar has not commented on Gill’s email, and it’s unclear how many of Gill’s supporters have signed onto the petition.
But it’s not the first petition launched in hopes of deporting Omar, who is a U.S. citizen.
At least six other petitions on Change.org have called for Omar’s deportation, though none have garnered massive support. Collectively, those petitions have notched just a measly 1,575 signatures.
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