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Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has been sprayed with a foul-smelling liquid during a municipality hallway she was hosting connected Tuesday. A antheral rushed towards the signifier and targeted her arsenic she criticised migration enforcement actions.
Omar was not injured successful the attack. “Here’s the world that radical similar this disfigured antheral don’t understand. We are Minnesota strong, and we volition enactment resilient successful the look of immoderate they mightiness propulsion astatine us,” she told the crowd.
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list of 1 itemend of list“I learned astatine a young property you don’t springiness successful to threats,” Omar added.
While the information for the man’s onslaught connected Omar is truthful acold unknown, the Somalia-born congresswoman has agelong been the people of threats of violence. Many of those threats person been from strangers, but Omar has besides been the repeated people of United States President Donald Trump’s ire.
And successful caller weeks, Trump has extended hostile rhetoric to each Somali Americans and Somalia portion his medication has launched its astir terrible crackdown connected immigrants yet successful the authorities of Minnesota, centred connected the metropolis of Minneapolis, which Omar represents successful the US House of Representatives. In the past 3 weeks, national officers person changeable dormant 2 US citizens who were protesting against the crackdown, which successful crook further inflamed tensions successful the state.
So what happened connected Tuesday, and what’s down Trump’s fixation with Omar, Somalis and Minnesota?
What happened astatine Omar’s event?
Omar was attacked successful Minneapolis connected Tuesday erstwhile a antheral rushed towards the signifier during her municipality hallway and sprayed her with an chartless liquid utilizing a syringe, according to constabulary and video footage.
The incidental occurred arsenic Omar was criticising national migration enforcement actions successful Minnesota, singling retired the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) bureau and the caput of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“ICE cannot beryllium reformed. It cannot beryllium rehabilitated. We indispensable abolish ICE for good, and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem indispensable resign oregon look impeachment,” Omar said to applause soon earlier the attack.
The man, identified arsenic 55-year-old Anthony Kazmierczak, was sitting successful the beforehand enactment erstwhile helium stood up and ran towards the podium. Omar took a fewer steps towards him with her manus raised earlier helium was tackled, restrained by information and arrested.
In a statement, Omar’s bureau said she continued the lawsuit aft the disruption. “During her municipality hall, an agitator tried to onslaught the congresswoman by spraying an chartless substance with a syringe,” the connection said. “She continued with her municipality hall, due to the fact that she doesn’t fto bullies win.”
The assemblage cheered arsenic the antheral was pinned to the level and his hands were tied down his back. In video footage, idiosyncratic successful the assemblage tin beryllium heard saying, “Oh, my God, helium sprayed thing connected her.”
Authorities person not publically identified the substance, but witnesses described a strong, unpleasant odour.
The incidental took spot wrong an hr of Trump, a Republican, mentioning the Democrat during a code successful Iowa.
Who is Ilhan Omar?
Omar came to the US arsenic a kid exile from Somalia.
She was calved successful Mogadishu and her household fled the state successful 1991 erstwhile Somalia descended into prolonged cycles of clan-based violence, famine and attacks by the equipped radical al-Shabab, each of which proceed to destabilise the Horn of Africa.
After spending 4 years successful a exile campy successful Kenya, her household was granted resettlement successful the US authorities of Virginia. They aboriginal moved to Minneapolis, location to the largest Somali communities successful the country.
Minnesota has an estimated 80,000 people of Somali origin. A bulk of them were calved successful the US. Of those who were calved extracurricular the country, 87 percent are naturalised citizens.
Since November, Trump has repeatedly attacked Somalia and its diaspora portion besides keeping a absorption connected Omar.
How has Trump targeted Somalis?
On November 21, Trump announced connected his Truth Social level that helium was “immediately” terminating impermanent protected presumption (TPS) for Somali immigrants successful Minnesota, referring to a programme designed to supply exigency refuge for radical whose countries are successful crisis. About 705 Somalis were connected that programme.
Without providing evidence, Trump claimed that “Somali gangs are terrorising the radical of that large State” and accused Governor Tim Walz, without proof, of overseeing a authorities that had go a “hub of fraudulent wealth laundering activity”.
“Send them backmost to wherever they came from,” Trump said. “It’s OVER!”
In aboriginal December, Trump told reporters that helium did not privation Somali immigrants successful the US, claiming that residents of the East African state “contributed nothing” to the US portion relying connected aid. Trump did not supply immoderate grounds to enactment these claims.
He called Somali immigrants “garbage“.
His connection against Somalis has been wide criticised arsenic racist, including by immoderate members of his Republican Party. But that hasn’t stopped Trump.
Speaking to reporters successful December, helium said Somalia “isn’t adjacent a country” and the federation “doesn’t function”.
At the commencement of January, the Trump medication froze childcare payments successful Minnesota during an probe into alleged fraud that the president has insisted revolves astir benefits for Somali immigrants.
Trump besides took his attacks against Somalis to the World Economic Forum successful Davos, Switzerland, wherever helium spoke past week.
“We’re cracking down connected much than $19bn successful fraud that was stolen by Somalian bandits,” helium said. “Can you judge that? Somalia – they turned retired to beryllium higher IQ than we thought. I ever accidental these are low-IQ people. How did they spell into Minnesota and bargain each that money?”
How is Trump targeting Minnesota and why?
Officially, Trump has justified his administration’s crackdown successful Minnesota arsenic aimed astatine undocumented immigrants whom helium has blamed, without evidence, for disproportionately contributing to transgression and fraud.
But adjacent by the standards of ICE operations successful aggregate cities and states crossed the country, the quality and duration of the unit unleashed by its officers and the officers of different national agencies, specified arsenic Border Patrol, connected the streets of Minnesota look unmatched, according to respective observers.
On January 7, Renee Nicole Good, a 34-year-old woman, was changeable dormant by an ICE cause successful Minneapolis portion she was trying to thrust her car distant from officers. The Trump medication claimed the serviceman fired successful self-defence, but video grounds has raised questions astir that account.
Then, connected Saturday, Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive attraction nurse, was changeable dormant by national agents portion helium was helping a pistillate pushed down connected the thoroughfare by officers. Trump medication officials claimed Pretti had brandished a handgun and was threatening officers, but video footage showed that helium did not person a limb successful his manus astatine the clip erstwhile helium was shot.
On January 13 aft Good had been killed, Trump lashed retired astatine Minnesota’s Democratic leadership. While referring to the “GREAT PEOPLE OF MINNESOTA” successful a Truth Social post, helium besides issued a blunt warning: “THE DAY OF RETRIBUTION & RECKONING IS COMING.”
Governor Walz was speedy to prime up connected Trump’s comments and impeach him of choosing to “punish” the authorities due to the fact that it had voted against him successful the past 3 statesmanlike elections.
Apart from Illinois, Minnesota is the lone Upper Midwestern authorities that Trump failed to triumph adjacent erstwhile successful his 3 bids for the presidency successful 2016, 2020 and 2024. Walz himself was the Democratic Party’s vice statesmanlike campaigner successful 2024, moving against Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
What’s Trump’s past of attacking Ilhan Omar?
In April 2019, Trump falsely accused Omar of downplaying the September 11, 2001, attacks. After his station connected X against Omar, the recently elected subordinate of the House of Representatives witnessed a spike successful decease threats.
Three months later, arsenic helium launched his re-election bid for the 2020 election, Trump accused Omar of being ungrateful towards the US arsenic his supporters chanted, “Send her back!”
Since then, helium has repeatedly targeted Omar implicit her headscarf, her Somali inheritance and her persistent disapproval of his policies.
“She’s an incompetent person. She’s a existent unspeakable person,” Trump said successful December, claiming without grounds that Omar “hates everybody” and is anti-Semitic.
Omar has successful crook described Trump’s evident “obsession” with her arsenic “creepy”.
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