Ilhan Omar responds to right-wing attacks on Afghan refugees: 'It is not surprising'

Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN), a Somali refugee, responded on Tuesday to anti-refugee rhetoric coming from right-wing figures like Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham. Carlson has referred to the inevitable resettlement of Afghan refugees in the U.S. as an invasion, and Ingraham has questioned whether or not the U.S. will be able to properly vet the scores of people fleeing the Taliban.

“It is not surprising, right?” Omar said, when asked about it on The ReidOut. “This is their playbook. They know how to whip up their base into frenzy.” She later added, “You have the man who led us into this war, President Bush, say we should allow for Afghani refugees. And then you've got these crazy people on the right doing, you know, what they always do with their fear mongering and their hateful rhetoric.”

As for Ingraham’s concerns about vetting, as someone who has been through the process, Omar is not worried.

“We’ve done this many a times where we have evacuated people, airlifted them into safe spaces so that we can properly vet them and have them come to the United States as vetted refugees. I know a little bit about that, you know?” Omar said. “I know what it's like to be a child in a family scrambling for safety in a war-torn country. I know the rigorous process you go through to get vetted as a refugee. We are the most vetted people who come to the United States. The process is long, and it doesn't just end when you arrive on the shores. It continues for years until you are eligible for citizenship at five years of entrance.”

Video Transcript

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ILHAN OMAR: Yeah it is not surprising, right? This is their playbook. They know how to whip up their base into a frenzy.

KYLIE MAR: Democratic representative Ilhan Omar appeared on "The Readout" Tuesday where she responded to right wing figures like "Fox News" hosts Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham pushing back against the United States accepting Afghan refugees fleeing the Taliban. Carlson has even gone so far as to say the refugees would be invading the US.

ILHAN OMAR: You have the man who led us into this war, President Bush, say we should allow for Afghani refugees. And then you've got these crazy people on the right doing what they always do with their fear mongering and their hateful rhetoric.

KYLIE MAR: Ingraham has questioned how well potential refugees will be vetted as has former President Trump's past advisor Stephen Miller. But as a refugee herself, Omar is not worried about the process.

ILHAN OMAR: I know the rigorous process you go through to get vetted as a refugee. We are the most vetted people who come to the United States. The process is long, and it doesn't just end when you arrive on the shores. It continues for years.

KYLIE MAR: Omar also responded to right wing pundit and "Fox News" contributor Charlie Kirk who specifically named Omar, claiming President Biden let Afghanistan fall so there would be more people like her in this country for political gain.

ILHAN OMAR: You know, that man and others can cry about it, but the reality is this is a country that welcomes refugees. And they don't just welcome refugees, they send one to Congress.

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