For roughly six minutes Thursday night, President Trump predictably singled out Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) during his campaign rally in her home district of Minneapolis. As photos of Omar wearing a headscarf flashed across jumbo screens at the Target Center in the city, Trump ramped up his broadsides against the freshman lawmaker, slamming her as an “America-hating socialist” and a “disgrace.” But he didn’t stop there.
The president soon widened his attack to target Somali refugees in Minnesota, a group that includes Omar, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in the East African country. He promised rally attendees, who booed loudly at the mention of the state’s Somali residents, that he would “give local communities a greater say in refugee policy and put in place enhanced vetting and responsible immigration controls.”
“As you know, for many years, leaders in Washington brought large numbers of refugees to your state from Somalia without considering the impact on schools and communities and taxpayers,” he said as some in the crowd jeered, adding, “You should be able to decide what is best for your own cities and for your own neighborhoods, and that’s what you have the right to do right now, and believe me, no other president would be doing that.”
Trump’s comments, the latest escalation of his ongoing feud with Omar and Somali refugees, drew fierce rebukes Thursday night from Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), a Democratic presidential candidate, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D). Omar also hit back at Trump over his criticisms of her.
“His hate is no match for our movement,” Omar tweeted, encouraging her followers to donate to her campaign.
Much more at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/10/11/trump-somali-refugees-minneapolis-rally/
The president soon widened his attack to target Somali refugees in Minnesota, a group that includes Omar, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in the East African country. He promised rally attendees, who booed loudly at the mention of the state’s Somali residents, that he would “give local communities a greater say in refugee policy and put in place enhanced vetting and responsible immigration controls.”
“As you know, for many years, leaders in Washington brought large numbers of refugees to your state from Somalia without considering the impact on schools and communities and taxpayers,” he said as some in the crowd jeered, adding, “You should be able to decide what is best for your own cities and for your own neighborhoods, and that’s what you have the right to do right now, and believe me, no other president would be doing that.”
Trump’s comments, the latest escalation of his ongoing feud with Omar and Somali refugees, drew fierce rebukes Thursday night from Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), a Democratic presidential candidate, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D). Omar also hit back at Trump over his criticisms of her.
“His hate is no match for our movement,” Omar tweeted, encouraging her followers to donate to her campaign.
Much more at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/10/11/trump-somali-refugees-minneapolis-rally/
