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Florida attorney general calls for feds to 'denaturalize and deport' congresswoman

Siena Duncan, Miami Herald on

Published in News & Features

Florida’s attorney general responded to a Minnesota congresswoman’s criticisms of the Trump administration by calling on Tuesday for her deportation.

James Uthmeier posted “Denaturalize and Deport” on X in response to a video of Rep. Ilhan Omar condemning President Donald Trump’s organization of a military parade last Saturday. She encouraged people to participate in protests at the time.

“The military are in our streets without any regard for people’s constitutional rights,” Omar said in the video, “while our president is spending millions of dollars propping himself up like a failed dictator.”

Omar’s office declined to comment.

Omar was born in Somalia and came to the United States as a refugee in the 1990s, becoming the first African refugee and Muslim woman to be elected to Congress in 2019, as a Democrat. She is a naturalized citizen.

 

Omar’s origins have been a routine bull's-eye for Republicans in Trump’s orbit, including Trump himself. And it’s not the first time a Florida official has made her a target. While running for president, Gov. Ron DeSantis also called for her deportation in January of 2024, responding to reports that Omar had told people in Somali that she was “Somali first, Muslim second” — Omar later claimed this was a mistranslation of her remarks.

Uthmeier was DeSantis’ presidential campaign manager at the time.

Uthmeier is about four months into his tenure as attorney general after DeSantis appointed him in February to fill an open spot left by Ashley Moody, now a U.S. senator. He is currently campaigning to keep his position, up for election in 2026.

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©2025 Miami Herald. Visit miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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