Wednesday February 12, 2025
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (HOL) — A Republican congressman from Texas has launched a fundraising campaign centred on a petition calling for the deportation of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), a U.S. citizen and Somali-born lawmaker, igniting a wave of backlash and accusations of racism.
Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas), a freshman congressman representing Texas's 26th District, sent a fundraising email last week urging supporters to sign a petition advocating for Omar's arrest and deportation. The move came after a video surfaced of Omar advising Somali-born constituents on their rights if confronted by immigration enforcement officers.
"Friend, we should have never let Ilhan Omar into our country," Gill wrote in the email obtained by Axios. "The time has come to arrest and deport Ilhan Omar."
The campaign echoes past right-wing attacks on Omar, who arrived in the United States as a refugee in 1995 and became a U.S. citizen in 2000 at the age of 17. As the first Somali-American elected to Congress, Omar has often been a target of Republican criticism, particularly for her outspoken progressive views and advocacy on immigration.
Gill's petition intensifies a long-running Republican strategy of leveraging anti-immigrant rhetoric to energize their base. His email follows a pattern set by former President Donald Trump, who previously told Omar and other progressive congresswomen to "go back" to their countries despite their U.S. citizenship.
In addition to the petition, Gill accused Omar of prioritizing undocumented immigrants over Americans, alleging that she was "facilitating a full-scale invasion of our country." The language mirrors broader Republican narratives framing immigration as a national security threat, particularly in states like Texas, where border policies remain a contentious issue.
Omar swiftly condemned Gill's remarks, calling them racist and fascist.
"It is truly disgusting that members of the Republican Party feel emboldened to engage in racist and, quite frankly, fascist remarks," Omar said in a statement to Axios. "Representative Gill's attempt to clout chase by threatening to deport a legal U.S. citizen because he disagrees with them is directly out of Donald Trump's fascist playbook."
Gill's petition has gained traction in conservative social media circles, with some far-right commentators echoing his claims. However, legal experts note that calls for Omar's deportation are baseless, given that she is a naturalized citizen with full constitutional rights.
The controversy follows a separate attack on Omar by billionaire Elon Musk, who last week falsely accused her of breaking the law by advising immigrants on their legal rights. Musk's remarks, which Omar dismissed as "lies," were widely criticized as part of a broader effort to undermine progressive lawmakers and promote right-wing conspiracy theories about immigration.
"He wakes up lying. He goes to sleep lying," Omar told journalist Mehdi Hasan in an interview. "And frankly, I don't think he understands the laws of this country. I don't think he understands the Constitution. I don't think he understands the power that we have as members of Congress."
Musk's comments align with his role as a key advisor in Trump's administration, where he has spearheaded efforts to identify and eliminate alleged "fraud" in government programs. Critics argue that Musk's crusade has selectively targeted progressives while ignoring well-documented financial misconduct among Trump allies.
Democrats have rallied around Omar, framing Gill's petition as an attempt to silence minority voices in government. Several lawmakers have drawn parallels to past instances of GOP figures using Omar's background to stoke controversy.
"This isn't about policy; this is about fearmongering and dehumanization," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) tweeted. "They know Ilhan fights for working people, so they try to turn her into a boogeyman. It's disgusting."
Political analysts note that the Republican Party's continued targeting of Omar signals a broader electoral strategy leading into the 2024 elections, where immigration remains a focal point. Fundraising off high-profile Democratic figures has been a recurring GOP tactic, as seen in past efforts against figures like AOC and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
While Gill's petition may energize his base, it also risks alienating moderate voters who view such attacks as overtly xenophobic. The GOP's targeting of Ilhan Omar spotlights the party's reliance on anti-immigrant sentiment to drive engagement. Omar's ability to withstand years of right-wing smears suggests that she is unlikely to be politically weakened by this latest controversy.