Washington, MINA – US President Donald Trump has intensified his rhetoric against two Muslim members of Congress, calling for Representatives Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib to be “institutionalized” and deported, despite both being American citizens.
The remarks came in the aftermath of a heated confrontation during Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address, where Omar and Tlaib interrupted the president’s speech, shouting “you’re killing Americans” in protest of his immigration policies. Omar also reportedly called the president a “liar” during the address.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump described the two lawmakers as having “the bulging, bloodshot eyes of crazy people, LUNATICS, mentally deranged and sick who, frankly, look like they should be institutionalized.” He added, “We should send them back from where they came – as fast as possible.”
The comments have drawn sharp condemnation from Democratic leaders and civil rights organizations. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries described the language as “xenophobic” and “disgraceful.” Tlaib responded on X that the president “is crashing out.”
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The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) characterized the remarks as racist. National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell stated it was “racist and bigoted to say two Muslim U.S. lawmakers should be sent to the country they were born in or where their ancestors came from based on their criticism.”
The confrontation unfolded against a backdrop of mounting criticism of Trump’s immigration enforcement policies. During his address, Trump reiterated claims that Somali communities in the US had engaged in widespread fraud and asserted that “Somali pirates” had “ransacked Minnesota”, allegations that rights groups say are inflammatory and unsupported.
The administration has deployed armed federal immigration agents in Minnesota, citing fraud investigations. However, civil liberties advocates argue that isolated allegations are being used to justify sweeping enforcement measures.
Two separate fatal January shootings of US citizens by federal agents in Minnesota sparked outrage. Additionally, at least eight people have died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers since the start of 2026, following 31 deaths in 2025, according to US media.
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Political analysts argue that the controversy reflects deeper structural divisions in American politics. In a recent editorial, analyst Ramzy Baroud described the situation as a form of “regime cleavage,” a structural rupture in which political actors no longer view each other as legitimate participants in a shared constitutional framework.
Baroud characterized Trump’s language as exemplifying “the normalization of humiliation as a governing language”, a political instrument deployed to degrade opponents and signal dominance to supporters. He warned that when leaders frame rivals as mentally unstable, alien, or fundamentally disloyal, they shift political competition into the realm of civic exclusion, transforming adversaries into enemies of the state.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the president’s remarks.[]
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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