Mickelson calls for Omar's deportation over Kirk remarks

Golfer Phil Mickelson on Saturday posted on X calling for Congresswoman Ilhan Omar to be deported to Somalia, accusing the Minnesota Democrat of illegally gaining U.S. citizenship. The message came in response to Omar's remarks that right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk “spread hate” and should be left “in the dust bin of history” ahead of Kirk's memorial service in Glendale, Arizona.

Omar arrived in the United States as a 12-year-old in 1995 and became a naturalized citizen five years later. Former President Donald Trump has echoed similar lines in the past, writing online that Somalia is plagued by a lack of central government control, persistent poverty, hunger, and corruption, and that Omar tells us how to run America: “Ilhan Omar's Country of Somalia is plagued by a lack of central Government control, persistent Poverty, Hunger, Resurgent Terrorism, Piracy, decades of Civil War, Corruption, and pervasive Violence. 70% of the population lives in extreme Poverty, and widespread Food Insecurity. Somalia is consistently ranked among the World's Most Corrupt Countries, including Bribery, Embezzlement, and a Dysfunctional Government. All of this, and Ilhan Omar tells us how to run America!”

Omar’s marital history has also been a point of controversy in political debates. She married Ahmed Nur Said Elmi in 2009, and there have been persistent but unproven allegations that the two were siblings to help her obtain citizenship. Multiple investigations did not prove those claims, and Omar has denied them. She later married political consultant Tim Mynett, with whom she has three children.

Mickelson has been very active on social media in the days since Kirk's memorial service in Arizona. He responded to a post from actor James Woods about the service by calling the scene “incredible and inspiring.” He has also weighed in on other topics, including environmental issues related to offshore oil, publicly advocating for Sable Offshore Corp. and even dropping the stock ticker symbol, $SOC, in praise of the company.

Kirk's memorial service took place in Glendale, Arizona, drawing attention from political commentators and fans alike as Mickelson and others weighed in on the broader dialogue surrounding immigration and citizenship. There was no immediate public comment from Omar or her representatives in response to Mickelson's post, and no corroborating reports indicating a formal rebuttal from her office at the time of publication.

The interwoven threads of the exchange—the remarks about Kirk, Omar’s immigration history, and Trump-era criticisms—underscore longstanding tensions in U.S. politics over immigration policy, naturalization, and the personal targeted rhetoric that can accompany high-profile political debates. As lawmakers and commentators continue to weigh in, the episode illustrates how public figures from sports and entertainment can intersect with partisan disputes on the question of who belongs in the country and how citizenship should be interpreted in a modern political landscape.