Fact Check: Did Marco Rubio say US will not accept Ilhan Omar's sponsorship of refugees?
WASHINGTON, DC: A rumor has been circulating on social media platforms claiming that Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that his department will no longer accept Rep Ilhan Omar's sponsorship of refugees, due to the Congresswoman’s alleged role in the Minnesota fraud. Let us analyze the rumour and fact-check whether Rubio really said it.
Claim: State Department will not accept Ilhan Omar's sponsorship of refugees
The claim surfaced as a post on Facebook and was accompanied by a caption stating, “Marco Rubio says the US State Department will no longer accept Congresswoman Ilhan Omar's sponsorship of foreign refugees after more than a dozen of the Minnesota fraudsters were found to be on her list.”
“‘She allows people in who can pay a nice fee,’" said Rubio, ‘But she doesn't vet them in any way.’”
“Rubio says allowing people in just because they appear to have money is how we ended up with the Twin Towers on the streets of Lower Manhattan. ‘It's a dangerous practice.’”
Fact Check: False, Marco Rubio did not make such a statement
The claim is false, as there are no credible reports or official statements from the State Department announcing that they won't accept foreign refugees sponsored by the Minnesota Congresswoman.
A search on Google for the claim yielded no results from any prominent news media outlets about the claim.
Moreover, the Facebook page that posted the claim is a parody account and describes in its bio as ‘Nothing on this page is real.’ The page has similar unverified and false claims posted for the sake of engagement.
JD Vance revives fraud claim against Ilhan Omar
The claim surfaced after Vice President JD Vance sat down for a podcast interview with conservative host Benny Johnson, where he claimed, “Ilhan Omar definitely committed immigration fraud against the United States of America.”
The politician also shared that he’s been discussing legal steps with White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller: “How do you go after her? How do you investigate her? How do you actually build the case to actually get some justice for the American people?”
During the interview, the 41-year-old leader further revealed that he’s “worried about the immigration.”
“I’m also worried about: What did Ilhan Omar know about what was happening in the Somali-American community? And why was nobody looking into it until, frankly, Donald Trump came along?” Vance said.
