Rep. Tom Emmer tells Somalis who don't assimilate to 'go the hell back'
Emmer said immigrants who do not assimilate should return to where they came from.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYTwin Cities is an established local-news publisher, and this article identifies its reporter and includes direct quotations and a request for comment. The text offers limited information about the outlet’s corrections practices.
- Source type — Established local-news source, supporting a solid credibility assessment.
- Author attribution — A named reporter is credited.
- Transparency — The article attributes remarks to speakers and reports that Emmer's spokesperson was asked for comment.
- Correction history — The article text provides no information about corrections practices.
The story provides direct quotations from the event, responses from named political figures, and a note that Emmer’s spokesperson did not respond. It gives some context about earlier comments but includes little independent or community perspective.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article gives substantial space to Emmer’s remarks and includes several criticisms, while noting that his spokesperson did not respond. It does not include an independent community perspective or a substantive defense of his comments.
- Counterarguments presented — Emmer's remarks are presented directly, and the article notes that his spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
- Source diversity — The story includes remarks from Emmer, Omar, Craig, and Chapin, but no independent community or subject-matter sources.
- Loaded language — The strongest language appears in attributed quotations; the headline uses a direct quotation from Emmer.
The article reports Emmer’s remarks and critics’ responses in attributed language. It does not clearly endorse a political position.
- Language tone — The article relies largely on quotations and attribution rather than the reporter's own evaluative language.
- Source selection — It includes Emmer's remarks and responses from Omar, Craig, and Chapin, and reports that his spokesperson did not respond.
- Framing — The article centers the remarks and ensuing criticism without a clear partisan argument.
At a June 25 event in Washington, Rep. Tom Emmer said immigrants who do not assimilate should “go the hell back to where they came from.” Rep. Ilhan Omar and House candidate Doug Chapin criticized his remarks, which put Emmer’s comments about Minnesota’s Somali community at the center of the story.
Emmer made the remarks at a Faith & Freedom Coalition event, saying some Minnesotans avoid speaking out about the Somali community because they fear being called racist or Islamophobic. He said immigrants who come to the United States should be Americans and that those who do not assimilate should return to where they came from. The article also notes that Emmer has previously linked public assistance fraud cases to members of the Somali community.
Omar responded that she had assimilated “all the way to Congress” and still was told to go back where she came from. Rep. Angie Craig called the remarks racist, while Doug Chapin, the Democrat running against Emmer, said they dehumanized an entire community. Emmer’s spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
Community verdict
27 VOTESPeople in this story
SWIPE →U.S. representative from Minnesota and House majority whip; made the remarks at issue
Minnesota attorney general, whom Emmer said he wanted answers from about alleged fraud
Minnesota governor, whom Emmer said he wanted answers from about alleged fraud
U.S. representative from Minnesota who criticized Emmer's remarks
Republican House primary challenger to Emmer
U.S. representative from Minnesota who responded to Emmer's remarks
Democratic House candidate challenging Emmer
Part of a bigger story
5 OUTLETSTom Emmer said Somali immigrants who do not assimilate should return to where they came from, prompting criticism from Minnesota Democrats. Center outlets focus on Emmer’s remarks and the criticism they prompted, generally pairing his words with responses from Democrats; KIMT News 3 also compares them with his 2016 comments about Somali assimilation.
- ARTICLES
- 5
- OUTLETS
- 5
- AVG CRED
- 76
- Brainerd Dispatch · Tom Emmer criticized for comments about Minnesota Somali community - InForum | Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo news, weather and sports
- FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul · Rep. Tom Emmer faces backlash for telling Somalis to 'go the hell back to where they came from'
- Hartford Courant · Rep. Tom Emmer says Somalis should 'go the hell back to where they came from'
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