What quotes are attributed to Ilhan Omar about Somalia and what are their primary sources?
Executive summary
Several striking lines have been widely attributed to Rep. Ilhan Omar about Somalia — most notably phrases rendered as “Somalians first, Muslims second,” claims that the U.S. “will only do what Somalians in the United States tell them to do,” and a more expansive paraphrase that “the U.S. government will do what we want, nothing else” — but those attributions largely trace back to a partly mistranslated January speech, social-media clips, and politically charged amplifications rather than a single, clear English-language quote from Omar herself [1] [2] [3].
1. The specific quotes being circulated and where they appeared
Social posts and conservative outlets circulated a translation that put words in Omar’s mouth such as “Somalians first, Muslims second,” and asserted she told Somalis that the U.S. government “will only do what Somalians in the United States tell them to do” or that “the U.S. government will do what we want, nothing else” — claims that were posted widely on X/Twitter and cited in news coverage of the uproar [1] [2] [3].
2. The primary source: a Somali-language speech and viral clips
The lines originate from a speech Omar gave in Somali at a Minneapolis gathering that was live-streamed and clipped online; those clips and user-generated translations circulated on social media and were picked up by conservative websites and some politicians, forming the immediate primary record for the contested attributions [2] [3].
3. Independent translations and fact-checkers found mistranslations
PolitiFact asked a court‑registered interpreter to translate the Somali remarks and concluded the viral English renderings were inaccurate, adding a full translation to its report; Minnesota Reformer and Sahan Journal likewise reported that independent translations did not support the sharp “Somalians first, Muslims second” phrasing and described the viral version as a misinterpretation [1] [3] [2].
4. How political actors amplified the disputed lines
House Republicans and other critics seized on the viral translations: House Majority Whip Tom Emmer publicly demanded an ethics probe and reposted the story, and conservative media and commentators used the alleged quotes to argue Omar had divided loyalties — a political trajectory documented in contemporaneous coverage [4] [2] [5].
5. Media context and the international angle cited in the speech
Reporting shows Omar’s remarks were framed by concerns among Somali-Americans about a diplomatic deal between Somaliland and Ethiopia and about Somali territorial integrity; local Somali community members and the livestream host told reporters Omar was addressing homeland issues and solidarity rather than declaring U.S. disloyalty [2] [3] [6].
6. Omar’s response and alternative accounts
Omar publicly disputed the translations and said her comments were taken out of context; her office’s profile and interviews also emphasize her life story from Somalia to the United States and her stated commitment to American civic life, which advocates and some local reporters cited to push back against the harsher interpretations [7] [6] [3].
7. The bigger takeaway: quotation, translation, and political motive
The factual chain is clear in the sources: the incendiary English quotes circulated widely, but independent translations and local reporting show those exact phrasings are not supported by the primary Somali-language speech as translated by credentialed interpreters, and the controversy was rapidly politicized by opponents who used the viral translations to demand investigations and stoke backlash [1] [2] [3] [4].
Bottom line
There are popular, widely shared English-language quotes attributed to Ilhan Omar about placing Somalia or Somalis above other loyalties, but the best-documented primary sources — the Somali‑language speech video, independent translations, and fact-checks — indicate the viral translations are flawed and that the incendiary formulations do not match the reliable translations added to the public record [1] [2] [3]. Coverage of the incident also shows rapid political exploitation of the mistranslation by Republican figures and media [4] [5] [8], while Omar and local journalists emphasize context and dispute the renderings [6] [7].