Rep. Delia Ramirez is under fire, including from some Republicans demanding that she be deported, after she said at an appearance in Mexico that she is a "proud Guatemalan before" "an American."
"Denaturalize, deport, and kick her off [the] Homeland Committee. We know where her allegiances lie," Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., wrote on X after the clip of the Illinois Democrat's comments, made in Spanish while speaking at a Mexico City summit this past weekend, went viral, according to Newsweek on Tuesday.
The Department of Homeland Security also responded on X, posting the video and quoting late President Theodore Roosevelt's call for Americans to hold their allegiance to the United States.
"There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism," the department posted. "Americanism is a matter of the spirit and of the soul. Our allegiance must be purely to the United States. We must unsparingly condemn any man who holds any other allegiance."
Ramirez has represented Illinois since 2023 and is the daughter of Guatemalan immigrants. She was born in 1983 in Chicago.
Responding to the criticism, she posted on X that "Honoring my Guatemalan ancestry only strengthens my commitment to America."
The congresswoman also said the backlash to her comments came in response to her criticism of the Trump administration's immigration actions. She has called for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign, for ICE to be defunded, and has referred to the Trump administration as a "fascist government."
Ramirez further questioned why her colleagues who celebrate their Italian or Irish heritage are not also being criticized.
"Only those who believe America should not include the children of immigrants or be diverse would attack me — and Americans like me — for honoring my roots," Ramirez said in a statement.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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