Politics
WATCH: Ilhan Omar Snaps, Curses At Reporter For Question On Dems’ Trips To El Salvador
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) erupted in a profanity-laced outburst after being asked by a Daily Caller News Foundation reporter about the growing controversy surrounding Democratic lawmakers’ trips to El Salvador.
The confrontation unfolded on Capitol Hill when reporter Myles Morrell posed a simple question: “Do you think more of your Democratic colleagues should be traveling to El Salvador to advocate on behalf of Rodrigo Garcia?” Omar didn’t hesitate, firing back: “I think you should f*** off.”
When Morrell asked for clarification, she doubled down. “I’m sorry, what?” asked Morrell.
“I think you should f*ck off!” Omar said again.
The exchange comes as Democrats face increasing scrutiny over their handling of the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case—once touted as a slam-dunk immigration rights issue, now bogged down by troubling new details and internal party disagreements.
WATCH:
INSANE: Rep. Ilhan Omar tells Daily Caller News Foundation reporter @MylesMorell to “f*** off”
pic.twitter.com/cZdn6BmgWj
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) May 1, 2025
In recent months, a number of Democratic lawmakers traveled to El Salvador to advocate for the return of Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man who lived in Maryland with his U.S. citizen wife and children. He was deported in March as part of a broader removal operation targeting alleged gang members, despite a 2019 immigration judge’s ruling granting him protection.
Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) led the charge, visiting El Salvador and pressuring authorities to move Garcia out of the notorious CECOT prison. Other House Democrats followed, Reps. Maxwell Frost (D-FL), Robert Garcia (D-CA), and Maxine Dexter (D-OR), among them, but were denied access to Garcia himself.
However, the narrative began to shift after it was revealed that Garcia’s wife had once filed a protective order, later clarified as stemming from a prior abusive relationship, not involving Garcia. Despite the clarification, political optics had already shifted, and party leadership began signaling retreat.
Sources told The Bulwark that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is now quietly urging Democrats to hit pause on the high-profile trips, even as he avoids directly addressing the issue publicly. “They want to let the El Salvador stuff slow down,” a senior staffer said.
Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) had reportedly been planning another visit, but those plans are now in doubt. Espaillat, a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, had previously declared, “The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is working all avenues to ensure Kilmar Abrego Garcia rejoins his family and receives his constitutional right to due process.”
Yet even within the party, that stance is far from unanimous. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) pushed back, telling Fox News, “This is not the right issue to talk about due process. This is not the right case.”
Democratic strategists are sounding the alarm that continued focus on the case could backfire, especially in swing districts. “They should understand that what they’re doing is going to be hurting us in the long run,” one House staffer said.
Chris Newman, an attorney for Garcia’s family, rejected the notion that the trips have become a liability. “The trips have proven effective both in the efforts to save Mr. Abrego Garcia’s life and to save Democrats from the quagmire they are in on the issue of immigration,” he said.
But behind the scenes, unity appears to be cracking. “As a member of a party you need to be disciplined,” one Democrat explained. “You can’t take that approach if you’re not having regular communications. You have to be clear in messaging what the plan is.”
And judging by Omar’s response to a simple question, that messaging is anything but clear.
