Outrage Boils: Emmer Targets Somali Americans

Tom Emmer’s warning to Somali immigrants has put assimilation back at the center of a national fight over who gets to call America home.

Quick Take

Emmer said immigrants must come to the United States “to be an American,” and he tied that to assimilation.
He also said there is “nothing racist” about calling out criminal behavior, after saying some immigrants “don’t assimilate.”
Emmer’s critics, including Representative Ilhan Omar and Representative Angie Craig, called the remarks racist.
The dispute revived a wider debate over assimilation, identity, and what government should expect from newcomers.

What Emmer Said at the Town Hall

Emmer’s comments came during a Faith and Freedom Coalition town hall, where he said he did not care where people came from if they came to America to become Americans. He also said Somali immigrants “don’t assimilate” and told some to “go the hell back” to where they came from. The remarks quickly spread online and drew sharp backlash from Minnesota Democrats and immigrant advocates.

Emmer framed his message as a defense of American identity, faith, and order. He said the United States was founded as a “Christian-based nation” and argued that there is nothing racist about calling out a criminal. That language was aimed at giving his remarks a law-and-order frame, but it also widened the fight because he offered no clear standard for what “assimilate” means in practice.

Why the Assimilation Fight Landed Hard

The core of Emmer’s argument is familiar in American politics. For generations, politicians have said immigrants should learn English, respect the law, and join civic life. Research on assimilation describes that process as more than slogans. It includes language, work, school, citizenship, social ties, and participation in public life. In other words, assimilation is usually measured by real behavior, not by a speaker’s broad labels.

That is where Emmer’s case runs into trouble. He praised Somali immigrants in 2015 as one of the “fastest assimilating populations” he had seen, yet now says they do not assimilate. He also gave no data, examples, or standards to show how he reached that judgment. The lack of a clear definition leaves his claim open to attack, because critics can point to the absence of proof while supporters can only repeat his broad language.

The Political Backlash Is Already Set

Representative Ilhan Omar answered with her own personal example, saying she “assimilated all the way to Congress” and rejecting Emmer’s attack. Representative Angie Craig called the comments racist. The Council on American-Islamic Relations in Minnesota also denounced the remarks as hurtful and unacceptable. Those responses matter because they frame the story not just as a policy dispute, but as a fight over dignity, belonging, and the line between criticism and prejudice.

Hmph. Well, this is awkward. 2026 Rep. Tom Emmer Somali immigrants "don't assimilate" and "should go the hell back to where they came from"

2015 Tom Emmer praised the Somali community, stating they were "some of the fastest-assimilating populations" the country had ever seen. https://t.co/9evEY9tMUj pic.twitter.com/h7hGW7fyif

— Fly Sistah 🪷 (@Fly_Sistah) June 29, 2026

Media coverage and social posts have already hardened the debate into two camps. One side sees a plain-spoken warning that immigrants should adapt to American norms. The other sees a reckless attack on Somali Americans, including citizens and public officials. The facts now on the record show Emmer made the remarks, defended them, and drew a fast wave of condemnation. What remains unresolved is whether he can back up the broader claim that Somali immigrants, as a group, fail to assimilate.