🧵 This week I introduced a bill to ban immigration from Somalia for 25 years. This is timely, necessary and prudent…

🧵 This week I introduced a bill to ban immigration from Somalia for 25 years. This is timely, necessary and prudent legislation.   The sole purpose of our immigration system is to benefit American citizens, but mass immigration from Somalia does the opposite.

2/ Americans have been shocked to see the appalling scale of welfare fraud in Minnesota. Fraudsters stole billions of our tax dollars creating fake autism and childcare centers and defrauding our healthcare system.   Of the 98 defendants charged so far, 85 were Somali.   Of course, this is both deeply insulting and wrong, but it’s only the tip of the iceberg.

3/ We expect immigrants to be self-sufficient, not welfare-dependent. That’s common sense. You don’t get to come into our country and expect hardworking American citizens to pay for your food, housing or other expenses.   But that is not what is happening. The Center for Immigration Studies analyzed welfare usage rates in Minnesota, the state with the largest Somali immigrant population, and the results were infuriating.

4/ 81% of Somali immigrant households receive welfare. Even more astounding: even after being in the US for 10 years or longer, 78% of Somali immigrant households receive welfare. That number is only 21% for native households.   In other words, the Somali immigrants in Minnesota aren’t living the American dream. They are getting free stuff. And we are all paying for it.

5/ Moreover, mass Somali immigration is making our communities less safe. As @MattGLilley and @RAVerBruggen write in @CityJournal, Somali immigrant men have an incarceration rate more than twice that of men born in the United States.   An immigration system that endangers our own people is one that needs thorough reform.

6/ Somali immigration has cultural implications as well. Historically, America expected immigrants to assimilate into our culture, to speak our language and adopt our customs. The goal is to preserve all the qualities that make America unique and the envy of the rest of the world.   And language is key. You cannot have a coherent society without the ability to communicate. A shared language is necessary for social, cultural and political cohesion.   Unfortunately, Somali immigrants are not assimilating or even learning our language. Only about half of them speak English “very well” - even after being in the US for 10 or more years.

7/ This is unsustainable. America cannot survive if we allow unassimilated foreigners to come into our communities en masse and receive welfare and commit crimes.   It’s time we put our own people’s interests first. And a 25 year Somali immigration ban is a good place to start.