Senator: ‘Send Ilhan Omar back to Somalia so she appreciates the US’

Republican Senator Rand Paul yesterday said he would buy Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar a ticket back to Somalia to “make her appreciate America more”.

In an interview with far-right publication Breitbart, Paul said he was “dumbfounded” how “unappreciative” Omar was of the US.

He said: “I’m willing to contribute to buy her a ticket to go visit Somalia, and I think she could look and maybe learn a little bit about the disaster that is Somalia, that has no capitalism, has no God-given rights guaranteed in a constitution, and has about seven different tribes that have been fighting each other for the last 40 years.”

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“And then, maybe after she’s visited Somalia for a while, she might come back and appreciate America more.”

He then clarified he wouldn’t send her to Somalia forcibly.

Omar came to the US as a child refugee, and is a naturalised citizen.

Paul later defended US President Donald Trump’s controversial remarks in which he told four congresswoman to “go home” and “help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came”.

This was later condemned by the House of Representatives.

Omar has not directly responded to Paul’s comments.

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