Ilhan Omar Faces Backlash for Now-Deleted Tweet About ‘Merit-Based Immigration’

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 10, 2019. Alex Wong/Getty Images

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) has sparked widespread backlash for recently suggesting that Latinos would not be able to compete in a merit-based immigration system.

President Donald Trump unveiled a proposal for a major overhaul of the immigration system on May 16 that would prioritize migration based on skill and merit. The new measure would shift away from the random visa lottery and instead introduce a new points-based system that ranks candidates based on age, level of education, and technical skills.

Omar took to Twitter to pan Trump’s proposal in a tweet on May 28.

“A ‘merit based’ immigration policy is fueled by racism towards the Latinx community. Our immigration policies shouldn’t be based on discrimination, fear, or bigotry. We should welcome immigrants to our country and offer a simple way to citizenship,” the freshman congresswoman wrote.

Rep. Ilhan Omar's tweet on May 28, 2019, which has since been deleted. Twitter

Many commentators, pundits, and politicians called out Omar for her “troubling” comments.

Among them was Sen. Ted Cruz who said. “As the son of a Cuban immigrant whose Dad came to get a math degree & become a computer programmer, I’m troubled that Dems seem to believe Hispanic immigrants can’t qualify for skills-based legal immigration.”

“Bringing in more scientists, engineers & doctors is good for US jobs,” he added.

Omar has since deleted the tweet.

Journalist Ryan Saavedra noted the deletion while making the same observation.

“Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN) just deleted this tweet where she appeared to suggest that Latinos can’t measure up in a ”merit-based“ immigration system,” he said.

Meanwhile, conservative political commentator Michelle Malkin said, “So Ms. Smarty Pants @ilhanmn deleted her tweet, cuz she finally realized that in accusing the President of raaaaaaaaaaacism, she was sounding mighty raaaaaaaaaacist herself.”

Plenty of others on social media also weighed in on Omar’s comments.

Omar said in a recent interview that she thinks the U.S. foreign policy should have a “Green New Deal”-style overhaul, claiming that she can help by bringing “the perspective of a foreigner.”

“When I think about foreign policy, we need something equivalent to the Green New Deal,” Omar told Minneapolis Star-Tribune, referring to the radical climate change plan introduced by socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) that would have cost as much as $9.3 trillion per year.

Omar, who currently holds a seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, continued: “It’s important for me to think about what an overhaul of our foreign policy should look like from the standpoint of really thinking how it impacts those around the world, and where our values intersect with what’s happening.”

Meanwhile, Omar has repeatedly been criticized for her own anti-Semitic rhetoric, questionable comments related to other foreign policy issues such as with socialist Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, and what some have called an anti-America attitude, including Vice President Mike Pence.

“Look, Ilhan Omar has made statements, antisemitic comments, statements against our most cherished ally, Israel, that ought to be rejected by every American,” Pence said during an interview with Fox and Friends. “And frankly the fact that very recently she has been trying to blame the United States of America for the deprivation and poverty brought on by the dictatorship in Venezuela.”