Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., compared White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller’s comments on migrants to the way Nazis described Jewish people. She made the remarks during an interview on Sunday.
CBS host Margaret Brennan asked Omar to respond to Miller’s social media post, which read: “No magic transformation occurs when failed states cross borders. At scale, migrants and their descendants recreate the conditions, and terrors, of their broken homelands.”
Omar described the comments as “White supremacist rhetoric” and said they echoed historical language used to dehumanize groups.
“It reminds me of the way the Nazis described Jewish people in Germany,” Omar said. “We also know immigrants from Ireland and Italy were described in harsh ways. Many tried to come to the U.S. and were turned back. Today, we see similar rhetoric being applied to Somali Americans, even though we are citizens and active members of this nation.”
Omar emphasized that Somali Americans, including her own community, are productive and integral parts of U.S. society.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
President Donald Trump has previously criticized Minnesota’s Somali community in connection with the Feeding Our Future fraud case. Federal prosecutors have charged over 75 individuals in the scheme as of November 2025. Some defendants are part of Minnesota’s Somali diaspora, the largest in the United States, though the ringleader is not.
During the interview, Omar responded to Trump’s statements on the Somali community, calling them “disgusting” and dehumanizing.
“These are Americans he is calling garbage,” Omar said. “There is an unhealthy obsession with the Somali community and with me personally. Language like this can lead to dangerous actions by those who listen.”
Omar also discussed the factors behind the Minnesota fraud scheme in a CNN interview. She said the COVID relief programs were set up quickly and relied on third parties to manage distributions.
“When new programs are designed to help people, they often rely on outside organizations. Many COVID relief programs were created so fast that important safeguards were missing,” she explained.
The remarks from Omar come amid ongoing debates over immigration policies, rhetoric, and community safety. Experts note that language used by public figures can influence public perception and, at times, lead to harm.
Miller’s comments reflect a broader conversation in the U.S. about how migrants are portrayed in politics. Omar’s comparison to Nazi-era language aims to underscore the risks of dehumanizing rhetoric.
Omar concluded by reaffirming her commitment to her community. “We are Americans, we are citizens, and we will continue to be a productive part of this nation,” she said.
