Rep. Tom Emmer faces backlash for telling Somalis to 'go the hell back to where they came from'
Reaction to Rep. Emmer's town hall comments about Somali-Americans
U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer is facing backlash from Democrats in the Minnesota congressional delegation for comments he made about Somali-Americans at a recent town hall.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (FOX 9) - U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer is facing backlash from Democrats in the Minnesota congressional delegation about comments he made at a town hall Wednesday night concerning Somali-Americans.
‘They should go the hell back to where they came from’
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Emmer spoke at the Faith and Freedom Coalition town hall on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. The Republican congressional representative said people should celebrate their culture, but assimilate to America or leave.
"I don't really care where you come from. But if you come to this great country, you have to understand you’re coming here to be an American," Emmer told the crowd at the town hall. "We celebrate everyone’s culture. We’re happy with that. As long as you are an American. Celebrate your culture, I don’t care. Italian, Polish, Somali. But they don’t assimilate. And if they don’t assimilate, then they should go the hell back to where they came from."
Democrats respond, say Emmer's comments ‘racist’
Minnesota Democrats are responding to Emmer’s comments.
What they're saying:
U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar responded on social media, saying she "assimilated all the way to Congress."
Omar is a U.S. citizen who was born in Somalia.
U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, who’s running for U.S. Senate, also responded on social media, calling the comments "racist."
The Source: This story uses information from a C-SPAN livestream of the Faith and Freedom Coalition town hall and social media.