In a move that’s ignited a firestorm across Washington and beyond, House Republicans are reportedly pushing a radical plan to deport Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), one of Congress’s most prominent progressive voices and the first Somali-American elected to the U.S. House. The inflammatory rhetoric—epitomized by the phrase “Go back to your sh**thole country!” allegedly shouted by a GOP lawmaker during a heated floor debate on March 14, 2025—has thrust the issue into the national spotlight. As Donald Trump’s second term barrels forward with an aggressive immigration agenda, Omar, a naturalized U.S. citizen and outspoken critic of the administration, finds herself at the center of a campaign that’s equal parts political theater and personal vendetta. The fallout? A polarized nation, a panicked Democratic Party, and a Republican caucus betting big on a strategy that’s as audacious as it is legally dubious.

The Spark: A Petition and a Provocation

The latest chapter in this saga began in February 2025, when Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas), a freshman lawmaker and Trump loyalist, circulated a fundraising petition titled “Deport Ilhan Omar.” Gill’s email blast, first reported by Axios, didn’t mince words: “We should have never let Ilhan Omar into our country. The time has come to arrest and deport her—sign my petition and let’s send her back to Somalia where she belongs.” The petition, which quickly garnered thousands of signatures from MAGA faithful, accused Omar of “facilitating a full-scale invasion” by advising Somali constituents of their legal rights against ICE questioning—a claim rooted in a viral video from early 2025.

The rhetoric escalated on March 14 during a House Oversight Committee hearing on immigration enforcement. As Omar grilled a Department of Homeland Security official over reports of ICE targeting legal residents, an unnamed Republican—later identified by witnesses as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.)—allegedly shouted, “Go back to your sh**thole country!” The outburst, caught on C-SPAN and amplified across X, drew immediate condemnation from Democrats and gasps from the gallery. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) swiftly gaveled the session into recess, but the damage was done: the phrase became a rallying cry for Omar’s detractors and a lightning rod for her defenders.

The Plan: A Legal Longshot or Political Ploy?

Gill’s petition isn’t just bluster—House Republicans are reportedly drafting a resolution to formally call for Omar’s deportation, a move that legal experts say has zero chance of succeeding but plenty of potential to inflame. Omar, who fled Somalia as a refugee during the 1991 civil war and became a U.S. citizen in 2000 at age 17, is constitutionally protected from such action. “Naturalized citizens have the same rights as native-born Americans,” immigration lawyer Rosanna Berardi told Newsweek in February 2025. “Deportation isn’t even on the table unless she’s convicted of a crime that voids her citizenship—and there’s no evidence of that.”

Yet the GOP’s strategy isn’t about winning in court—it’s about winning in the court of public opinion. Posts on X reveal a coordinated push: Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) called Omar’s alleged “Somalia-first” comments from a 2024 speech “treasonous,” while Greene has floated a censure resolution claiming Omar acts as a “foreign agent.” The accusations stem from a mistranslated clip of Omar addressing Somali-Americans in Minneapolis, which critics falsely claimed showed her prioritizing Somalia over the U.S. (Omar clarified the remarks were about protecting her constituents’ interests, not Somalia’s sovereignty.) Still, the narrative has legs among Trump’s base, with polls showing 88% of Republicans support deporting undocumented immigrants with criminal records—a sentiment Gill and others are stretching to include Omar, a legal citizen.

The Backlash: Democrats Rally, Hollywood Freaks

Democrats wasted no time circling the wagons. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) blasted the GOP’s plan as “political revenge dressed up as patriotism,” vowing to fight it “with every tool at our disposal.” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) called it “disgusting” on X, adding, “Threatening to deport a U.S. citizen because you disagree with her is straight out of a fascist playbook.” Even moderates like Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) demanded Speaker Johnson rein in his caucus, tweeting, “This is demeaning & embarrassing. We all need to be better than this s***.”

Hollywood, already jittery over Trump’s return, erupted too. Actress Alyssa Milano posted, “This is un-American—Ilhan Omar is one of us,” while comedian Patton Oswalt quipped, “Republicans want to deport a congresswoman but not the guy who incited January 6th? Cool priorities.” The panic isn’t just performative—industry insiders whisper that a successful push against Omar could embolden Trump’s allies to target other outspoken liberals, from AOC to late-night hosts like Stephen Colbert.

On X, the hashtag #StandWithIlhan trended alongside #DeportOmar, reflecting a nation split down the middle. “She’s an American hero fighting for justice—GOP’s scared of her power,” one user wrote. Another countered, “Omar hates this country—send her back!” The vitriol echoes Trump’s 2019 tweet telling Omar and “The Squad” to “go back” to their “crime-infested” origins—a line he’s since doubled down on, reportedly cheering Gill’s petition at a Mar-a-Lago dinner in February 2025.

Omar’s Defiance: A Voice That Won’t Be Silenced

Omar, no stranger to GOP attacks, met the storm head-on. In a fiery floor speech on March 15, she declared, “I’m an American, elected by Americans, and no amount of racist tantrums will change that. They can’t deport me, but they can’t silence me either.” Flanked by a photo of her younger self in a refugee camp, she framed the fight as a test of “who gets to be American,” a nod to her 2023 ouster from the Foreign Affairs Committee over past Israel comments—another GOP “revenge” move she survived.

Her resilience has only amplified her clout. Since losing her committee seat, Omar’s launched the U.S.-Africa Policy Working Group and met with more foreign dignitaries than ever, per her office. “They thought they’d bury me,” she told supporters in Minneapolis on March 16. “Instead, they made me louder.” That night, a crowd of thousands chanted her name, a stark contrast to the “Send her back!” cries at Trump rallies.

The Bigger Picture: A GOP Gamble in a Divided Nation

This isn’t just about Omar—it’s a litmus test for Trump’s second term. With Republicans controlling the White House, Senate, and House as of March 17, 2025, they’re flexing muscle on immigration, a cornerstone of Trump’s 2024 campaign. ICE sweeps have netted over 10,000 undocumented immigrants since January, per DHS data, and a New York Times/Ipsos poll shows 55% of voters back mass deportation plans. Gill’s petition—and Greene’s outburst—tap into that fervor, even if targeting a citizen like Omar stretches the playbook to its breaking point.

But the gamble could backfire. Moderate Republicans like Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), who opposed Omar’s 2023 committee ouster, are uneasy. “We’re setting a dangerous precedent,” Buck told CNN on March 15. “Kicking out citizens we don’t like isn’t how this works.” If the resolution reaches a vote—a longshot requiring Speaker Johnson’s blessing—it risks alienating swing voters already wary of Trump’s bombast.

For Democrats, it’s a rallying cry. “This is bigger than Ilhan,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said on X. “It’s about whether dissent is still allowed in America.” The party’s already fundraising off the drama, with emails blasting “Trump’s GOP wants to deport a congresswoman—fight back!”

What’s Next: A Showdown Looms

As of March 17, 2025, the deportation push remains more noise than substance. No formal bill has been filed, and Johnson’s office declined comment, suggesting the Speaker’s hesitant to escalate beyond rhetoric. Legal scholars like Berardi predict it’ll fizzle—“They’d need a miracle to make this stick”—but the political damage is real. Omar’s team says she’s “unfazed,” prepping for a counteroffensive that could include lawsuits or ethics complaints against Gill and Greene.

For now, the phrase “Go back to your sh**thole country!” hangs over Washington like a dark cloud—a reminder of how far the GOP’s willing to go, and how fiercely Omar’s ready to fight. In a nation teetering between unity and fracture, this clash might just be the opening salvo of a long, ugly war.