Rep. Ilhan Omar is facing controversy after a video surfaced of her stating “Somalians first, Muslims second” and expressing loyalty to Somalia over the US.
Calls for her expulsion and denaturalization were met with caution by legal scholar Jonathan Turley, who argued that her speech is protected under the First Amendment and does not warrant such actions.
While there are reasons to oppose Omar, using legal means to remove her may not be appropriate.
The focus should be on the democratic process, allowing voters to make their own decisions.
Expel from Congress, denaturalize and deport! https://t.co/UyjEmSSIoQ
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) January 30, 2024
“Expel from Congress, denaturalize and deport!” Ron DeSantis wrote on X.
“People who know they are Somalians first, Muslims second, who protect one another, come to each other’s aid and to the aid of other Muslims too,” Omar said.
“Sleep in comfort, knowing I am here to protect the interests of Somalia from inside the U.S. system,” she added.
“While I have been a long critic of Omar, her views expressed in this speech are not only protected speech, but they are not a basis for denaturalization,” law professor Jonathan Turley said.
“The speech has led to calls for expulsion from Congress and denaturalization. Neither would be appropriate, in my view,” he said.
Turley noted that she has “remained a controversial figure due to her statements on Israel and other subjects” but that “growing calls for denaturalization are disconnected from governing constitutional and statutory standards.”
Deportation is irrelevant, as it “is largely based on the granting of citizenship based on fraudulent or false representations,” Turley said.
“The greatest disconnect in these calls is that Omar would be stripped of her citizenship for exercising the very right that defines us as citizens,” he said.
“This country is not endangered by a lack of patriotism or even a lack of loyalty in others. It is threatened by allowing our anger to blind us to the denial of the very thing that defines us,” Turley said.
