U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar has criticized President Donald Trump’s recent remarks targeting the Somali community in Minnesota, describing them as an attempt to “evade responsibility for his actual failures.” In an interview with CNN, Omar said Trump’s rhetoric “fuels fear” within the Somali community and warned that his statements could incite violence against its members.

Her comments came in response to a series of escalating statements by Trump, in which he referred to Somalis as “garbage” and called for their deportation, while also questioning Omar’s qualifications to serve in Congress. The remarks coincided with a new security operation targeting undocumented Somali immigrants in Minnesota.

At the same time, the Trump administration announced the suspension of immigration, permanent residency, and citizenship applications for citizens of 19 countries—including Somalia, Afghanistan, Yemen, Sudan, and Libya—as part of a broader tightening of immigration policies following a shooting in Washington, D.C., in which an Afghan immigrant was charged.

Trump’s statements sparked outrage in Mogadishu, where many citizens condemned what they described as “insulting language,” while others believed the Somali government’s response was restrained out of concern for its diplomatic relationship with Washington.