Florida Attorney General slams lawmakers who don’t side with Trump: “You don’t have to stay here. You can go home”
Florida – James Uthmeier, Florida’s Republican Attorney General, has has ignited a political firestorm by telling lawmakers who are skeptical of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Trump-era immigration policies to think about leaving the country completely. Uthmeier didn’t hold back in a recent series of comments, especially when talking about Democratic members like Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who have criticized former President Trump’s handling of immigration and national security.
Uthmeier, a staunch Trump supporter who was appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis, doubled down on his support for forceful deportation operations, such as Florida’s close coordination with federal immigration authorities.
He recently brought up the notion of a new detention center in the Everglades, calling it “Alligator Alcatraz.” The proposed facility would be close to Florida’s famous pythons and alligators, and because there is an airstrip nearby, it would be easy to relocate people who are about to be deported.
But what got him national attention were his statements about free speech and loyalty. Uthmeier criticized federal courts in an interview, saying they are going too far by blocking parts of new state immigration legislation.
“We’re seeing judges across the country that are not following the law. They want to push policy. They want to push their own legislative ideas. That is not the role of the judiciary,” he said to NewsNation.
He saved his harshest criticism for Democratic lawmakers who have condemned ICE operations or have tried to visit immigration detention centers to check on detainees’ living conditions. “These leftist radical members of Congress running to ICE facilities, trying to obstruct justice, they’re not going to be able to get to the middle of the Everglades, I’ll tell you that,” Uthmeier said.
The conflict escalated when Rep. Ilhan Omar, who was a refugee herself and the first African-born and Muslim woman to be elected to Congress, spoke out against a military parade on Trump’s birthday. Omar said the display was like the totalitarian pageantry she recalled from Somalia and called it un-American and a threat to democracy. Uthmeier’s response was quick and to the point: he said Omar should lose his citizenship and be sent back to her native country. He also said those MPs who “hate” the country should just “go home.”
“You have leaders in this country that are attacking our country. They’re fighting with the principles upon which America was founded. If that’s going to happen, you don’t have to stay here,” he said. “You can go home. You can leave this country if you hate it so much.”
Folks on social media quickly reacted to Uthmeier’s words with anger and discussion. Supporters cheered when he took a hard line on immigration and what they thought was a defense of American values. Critics, on the other hand, said he was going after immigrants and political opponents. They said that calls for denaturalization and deportation go too far in a country that values free expression.
The argument is not just happening in Florida. Others in the Republican Party, such as Texas State Representative Brandon Gill and Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, have also called for Omar to be removed from Congress and the country. This has turned into a bigger fight over what it means to be patriotic and to disagree.
Florida is becoming a battleground in America’s ongoing fights over immigration, civil rights, and what it means to be a citizen as the state presses forward with plans for stricter enforcement and contentious initiatives like the Everglades detention center. The big difference between Uthmeier’s words and Omar’s defense of dissent shows how heated and personal this national dispute has become, and it doesn’t look like it will end any time soon, with another election season coming up.
