President Donald Trump unleashed a firestorm of controversy Wednesday February 26, 2026, when he declared that two Muslim congresswomen should be “sent back from where they came” following a heated confrontation during his State of the Union address.
The inflammatory remarks targeted Representatives Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, both of whom shouted protests at Trump during his nearly two-hour speech Tuesday as he touted his administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.
In a blistering Truth Social post, Trump attacked the two Democratic lawmakers, calling them “Low IQ” and claiming they “had the bulging, bloodshot eyes of crazy people, LUNATICS, mentally deranged and sick who, frankly, look like they should be institutionalized.”
The president continued: “When people can behave like that, and knowing that they are Crooked and Corrupt Politicians, so bad for our Country, we should send them back from where they came – as fast as possible.”
The confrontation erupted Tuesday night when Trump praised his administration’s crackdown on so-called “sanctuary cities.” Omar and Tlaib, seated next to each other, shouted “You have killed Americans!” — a reference to two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, killed by federal officers in Minnesota during Trump’s immigration crackdown in January.
Omar, who represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District covering Minneapolis, later defended her actions, saying she “had to remind Trump that his administration was responsible for killing two of my constituents.” Tlaib, who wore a pin reading “F–k ICE,” fired back at Trump’s deportation threat with her own pointed response on social media: “#PresidentMajnoon” — using an Arabic word meaning “mad” or “possessed.”
Trump’s remarks carry particular weight given that both women are U.S. citizens. While Omar, a Somali American, was born in Somalia, she arrived as a refugee in 1995 and has been a U.S. citizen since 2000 — more than 25 years. Tlaib, a Palestinian American and the first woman of Palestinian descent in Congress, is a native of Detroit, meaning she has been a citizen her entire life.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries condemned Trump’s rhetoric as “xenophobic” and “disgraceful.” The Council on American-Islamic Relations also weighed in, with national deputy director Edward Ahmed Mitchell calling it “racist and bigoted to say two Muslim U.S. lawmakers should be sent to the country they were born in.”
The Tuesday night confrontation was not the only dramatic moment during the State of the Union. Democratic Representative Al Green was removed from the House floor for holding a sign that read “Black people aren’t apes” — a reference to a racist video of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama that Trump recently posted on Truth Social.
Adding to the controversy, Omar revealed Wednesday that her guest at the State of the Union, 43-year-old Aliya Rahman, was removed by officers and charged with unlawful conduct for standing silently in the gallery during portions of Trump’s speech. Rahman, a U.S. citizen with disabilities who was detained by federal immigration officers in Minnesota last month, suffered shoulder injuries during that earlier encounter.
Omar said Rahman was “forcibly removed, despite warning officers about her injured shoulders.” Capitol Police said Rahman refused to obey orders to sit down, adding that “all State of the Union tickets clearly explain that demonstrating is prohibited.” Rahman was taken to George Washington University Hospital for treatment before being booked at Capitol Police headquarters.
The incident comes amid Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown, which has drawn intense scrutiny. At least eight people have died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers since the start of 2026, following at least 31 deaths in ICE detention last year — the highest toll in more than two decades.
During his State of the Union address, Trump reiterated his accusation that Somali communities in the U.S. had engaged in fraud, claiming “Somali pirates” had ransacked Minnesota. The administration has deployed armed federal immigration agents in Minnesota based on these fraud allegations.
This is not the first time Trump has told Omar and other minority lawmakers to “go back where they came from.” At a December rally in Pennsylvania, Trump said Omar “does nothing but ****” and led the crowd in chanting “Send her back.” During a Cabinet meeting that same month, Trump referred to Omar as “garbage” and said Somalis should “go back to where they came from.”
