Somali Dem Rep says moving to US as refugee was ‘bootcamp’, slams housing and entire state of Kansas

So much for gratitude. Rep. Mana Abdi, a Democratic state representative for Maine, likened her immigration experience to the United States to a “bootcamp.”

With assimilation already in question, Abdi had a host of complaints about life in the U.S. — ethnically Somali, Abdi was born in Kenya and came to America as a refugee at the age of 11.

“So coming into the States, everything from the snow to the housing, the homes that we were all of a sudden occupying, everything was a shock, honestly,” she said in a video clip circulating online. “Every day was something new, and I’m like, ‘Oh my god, this is just getting worse.'”

Abdi has been serving in the Maine House of Representatives since 2022 and prioritizes left-wing causes like social justice, equitable housing, and education. She was a community organizer before being elected to office.

She is not the only Somali refugee making news in Maine.

State Rep. Deqa Dhalac (D), a Somali refugee who came to America in 1992 when she married a Somali businessman in Atlanta, drew criticism this week for commenting on her goal of helping “our country of Somalia.”

ADVERTISEMENT

“How can the politics in Somalia resonate with what we have here in the United States, the democracy that we have?” Dhalac asked. “How can you help us be a better country and build back what we used to have a long time ago? So hopefully, we will be able to help our country, our former country, Somalia.”

Then again, the women have U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) to look up to when it comes to left-wing causes and bad-mouthing America — or, at least, white Americans.

Estimates of the Somali population in the country are as high as 300,000, and the largely Muslim community has been slow to assimilate.

Here’s a quick sampling of responses to the story, as seen on X — see if you can pick up on a theme:

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Tom Tillison

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles