The key points are temporarily unavailable. You can still read the full Story below.
Main Points
The Trump administration has launched denaturalization proceedings against 33 individuals in May and June, the highest number in a single year since 2008. Among those targeted is Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, a Somali-born congresswoman who has been a vocal critic of the president. On [date], federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security searched Omar’s Washington, D.C., home. The agents seized her phone, computers, notebooks and passport. The search took place in the final weeks of Omar’s reelection campaign, raising concerns that it may have violated a Justice Department standard that prohibits taking public action in an investigation of a candidate within 60 days of an election. Omar has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2019 and is one of the original members of the “Squad,” a group of progressive Democrats. She has repeatedly criticized President Trump, who has called her “garbage,” “scum,” “a disaster,” “a troublemaker” and “a terrible person.” In a January interview with The New York Times, Trump said, “Ilhan Omar is a woman that should be immediately thrown out of Congress and sent back to her, her country, from where she’s always complaining about.” When a reporter asked if she should lose her citizenship, Trump replied, “Oh, absolutely.” The administration has alleged that Omar’s father misrepresented her age during her naturalization process 26 years ago, claiming she was 17 rather than 18. The validity of that allegation has not been confirmed. The Trump administration has also pursued denaturalization against other critics, including former national security adviser John Bolton, former First Lady E. Jean Carroll, former FBI director James Comey, former White House aide Lisa Cook, former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, General Mark Milley and former White House aide Miles Taylor. At the same time, the administration has been criticized for failing to enforce the law against or pardoning individuals who have committed violent crimes but are perceived as allies of the president. Denaturalization has a long history as a tool of authoritarian repression. The Soviet Union stripped Alexander Solzhenitsyn of citizenship in 1974, Czechoslovakia revoked Milan Kundera’s citizenship in 1979, and other regimes—including East Germany, Romania, Chile under Augusto Pinochet, Greece under its military dictatorship, Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy—used similar measures against critics. In recent years, Nicaragua has stripped more than 300 government critics of their citizenship. The investigation of Representative Omar has drawn criticism from civil liberties groups and lawmakers who argue that it represents an abuse of federal power and a threat to free speech and the rule of law. The case remains under review by the Department of Justice. Article source: San Juan Daily Star | Image credit: San Juan Daily Star
The Trump administration has launched denaturalization proceedings against 33 individuals in May and June, the highest number in a single year since 2008. Among those targeted is Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, a Somali-born congresswoman who has been a vocal critic of the president. On [date], federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security searched Omar’s Washington, D.C., home. The agents seized her phone, computers, notebooks and passport. The search took place in the final weeks of Omar’s reelection campaign, raising concerns that it may have violated a Justice Department standard that prohibits taking public action in an investigation of a candidate within 60 days of an election. Omar has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2019 and is one of the original members of the “Squad,” a group of progressive Democrats. She has repeatedly criticized President Trump, who has called her “garbage,” “scum,” “a disaster,” “a troublemaker” and “a terrible person.” In a January interview with The New York Times, Trump said, “Ilhan Omar is a woman that should be immediately thrown out of Congress and sent back to her, her country, from where she’s always complaining about.” When a reporter asked if she should lose her citizenship, Trump replied, “Oh, absolutely.” The administration has alleged that Omar’s father misrepresented her age during her naturalization process 26 years ago, claiming she was 17 rather than 18. The validity of that allegation has not been confirmed. The Trump administration has also pursued denaturalization against other critics, including former national security adviser John Bolton, former First Lady E. Jean Carroll, former FBI director James Comey, former White House aide Lisa Cook, former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, General Mark Milley and former White House aide Miles Taylor. At the same time, the administration has been criticized for failing to enforce the law against or pardoning individuals who have committed violent crimes but are perceived as allies of the president. Denaturalization has a long history as a tool of authoritarian repression. The Soviet Union stripped Alexander Solzhenitsyn of citizenship in 1974, Czechoslovakia revoked Milan Kundera’s citizenship in 1979, and other regimes—including East Germany, Romania, Chile under Augusto Pinochet, Greece under its military dictatorship, Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy—used similar measures against critics. In recent years, Nicaragua has stripped more than 300 government critics of their citizenship. The investigation of Representative Omar has drawn criticism from civil liberties groups and lawmakers who argue that it represents an abuse of federal power and a threat to free speech and the rule of law. The case remains under review by the Department of Justice.
News Desk is the editorial publishing account for Tringlobe Media News, covering breaking news, public affairs, entertainment, community developments and regional stories across Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean and internationally.
