House Majority Whip Tom Emmer told a conservative crowd on Capitol Hill this week that members of Minnesota’s Somali community who "don't assimilate" "should go the hell back to where they came from." The comments, delivered at a Faith & Freedom Coalition town hall, set off an immediate political backlash back home, drawing sharp criticism from high‑profile Minnesota officials including Rep. Ilhan Omar and Gov. Tim Walz.
Emmer, the No. 3 Republican in the U.S. House, cast his remarks as a refusal to tiptoe around accusations of bigotry. He said he was "done being even the least bit careful" about being labeled a racist or an Islamophobe, while repeating that Somalis "don't assimilate." As reported by the Star Tribune, the rhetoric mirrors recent attacks on Minnesota’s Somali community from national Republican figures.
Video of Emmer’s appearance quickly circulated after the Faith & Freedom Coalition event. CBS Minnesota reported that the clip came from a C‑SPAN feed and confirmed Emmer's line about being "done being careful." CBS also noted that Minnesota is home to one of the largest Somali populations in the country, with roughly 107,000 people of Somali descent statewide and about 84,000 living in the Twin Cities.
Minnesota leaders push back
Rep. Ilhan Omar, who emigrated from Somalia as a child and now represents a Minneapolis‑area district, responded on social media that "I assimilated all the way to Congress" and urged supporters to back Emmer's Democratic challenger, according to the Star Tribune. Gov. Tim Walz also condemned Emmer’s remarks on X, saying the congressman had "flushed" his reputation in service of the president, the paper reported.
Emmer's record on Somali‑targeted policy
Emmer has frequently linked Somali residents to fraud investigations and backed measures that would strip citizenship from people convicted of certain crimes. In a December press release, his office said, "If they're here illegally, deport them immediately; if they're naturalized citizens, revoke their citizenship and deport them quickly thereafter," according to the House Majority Whip. The release highlights how Emmer and his allies have folded aggressive enforcement proposals into their response to Minnesota fraud probes.
Why it matters locally
The comments land after months of reporting on pandemic‑era fraud schemes and a Republican push to link those cases directly to immigration enforcement, a dynamic described in coverage of the fraud firestorm fuels GOP bid and by other outlets. The timing is politically loaded: Minnesota's state primary is scheduled for August 11, 2026, when voters will narrow fields ahead of the November general election, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State.
For now, Emmer’s remarks have become a flashpoint in a broader fight over assimilation, public safety and political messaging in a state where Somali immigrants are a visible civic and economic force. As the 2026 campaigns heat up, Minnesota voters will decide whether this hard‑edged rhetoric is smart strategy or a self‑inflicted wound.
