Leader Isaacsohn Condemns Recent Comments by President Trump Targeting Somali Communities

COLUMBUS – House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn (D-Cincinnati) today released the following statement in solidarity with the Somali-American community after inflammatory and offensive remarks were made by the President of the United States:

“This is a nation of immigrants. People have been coming here in search of a better life from every corner of the earth for hundreds of years. It is what has made us the country we are today. We risk the remarkable community we have built in the United States when we forget that basic fact. That is why we have to reject the President’s harmful and offensive attacks launched at the country’s Somali community. They are beneath the office of the presidency. At a time when our country is in desperate need of lowering the temperature and fostering connection, his words further divide us. 

It is our responsibility to not only condemn the derogatory and inaccurate accusations made from the White House, but to reaffirm our commitment to the basic American concept that our diversity is our strength. We cannot become a nation where people are afraid to go shopping, to send their children to school, or go to their place of worship because of who they are.  These comments only serve to further marginalize and endanger our immigrant neighbors and I condemn them in the strongest terms. 

Somali immigrants have been a key part of enriching our communities’ fabric for decades, with many families now in their second and third generation. Somali Americans are our neighbors, colleagues and community leaders. 

Now is the time to stand firm in our conviction to celebrate our differences and stand together against bigotry and division.”

Columbus, Ohio is home to the second largest Somali community in the United States. Their contributions strengthen Ohio’s cultural and civic life.