SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota House People of Color and Indigenous Caucus issued the following statement in reaction to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s removal from the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee:
“We condemn recent action taken by Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives to oust Congressional District 5 Congresswoman Ilhan Omar from her position on the Foreign Affairs Committee. Congresswoman Omar served in the Minnesota House from 2017-2019, and is a founding member of the POCI caucus. We serve in the legacy of her leadership both locally and nationally, and we appreciate her advocacy for marginalized groups around the world.
“Congresswoman Omar brings a unique and necessary perspective to the Foreign Affairs committee as a refugee. She represents the Minnesota immigrant and refugee communities on important global issues and is a strong and needed voice in Congress. Instead of being valued for her contributions, Congresswoman Omar has been consistently targeted and attacked because of racism and Islamophobia.
“The POCI Caucus stands in solidarity with Congresswoman Omar. We know that even with this removal she will continue to advocate, lead, and fight for justice on local and global issues.”
The POCI Caucus is comprised of; Rep. Esther Agbaje (59B), Rep. Jamie, Becker-Finn (40B), Rep. Ethan Cha (47B), Rep. Mary Frances Clardy (53A), Rep. Cedrick Frazier (43A), Rep. Aisha Gomez (62A), Rep. Hodan Hassan (62B), Kaohly Vang Her (64A), Rep. Athena Hollins (66B), Rep. Samakab Hussein (65A), Rep. Heather Keeler (04A), Rep. Alicia, Kozlowski (08B), Rep. Fue Lee (59A), Rep. Liz Lee (67A), Rep. Mohamud Noor (60B), Rep. Ruth Richardson (52B), Rep. Samantha Sencer-Mura (63A), Rep. Samantha Vang (38B), Rep. María Isa Pérez-Vega (65B), and Rep. Jay Xiong (67B).