Rep Delia Ramirez’s viral ‘Guatemalan before American’ remark sparks outrage: ‘She should be deported’

WASHINGTON, DC: Democratic Representative Delia Ramirez of Illinois is under fire after a viral video showed her declaring, “I’m a proud Guatemalan before I’m an American.”

The comment, made in Spanish at the Panamerican Congress in Mexico City over the weekend, sparked backlash from conservative figures, who questioned her loyalty to the United States.

Ramirez, who represents a Chicago-area district, has defended her remarks, even as critics call for her removal from Congress.

Furious backlash after Delia Ramirez puts Guatemalan pride before American identity

At the second annual Panamerican Congress, Rep Delia Ramirez told the audience, “I’m a proud Guatemalan before I’m an American,” drawing immediate backlash.

GOP Sen Mike Lee of Utah asked on X, “Are you comfortable with this?” while Rep Claudia Tenney wrote, “Imagine saying that while serving in the US Congress."

Actor James Woods simply responded, “Hasta la vista…”

The Department of Homeland Security also appeared to weigh in, posting a Theodore Roosevelt quote: “There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism... Our allegiance must be purely to the United States.”

The comment drew swift criticism from right-wing commentators. Charlie Kirk stated, “Any person who values any other country over America does not belong in Congress.”

Matt Walsh wrote, “She should be arrested, denaturalized, and deported.”

Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy added, “If your primary allegiance is to a different nation, then you shouldn’t be allowed to make laws that bind Americans.”

Delia Ramirez defends remarks, calls ancestry part of her American story

In a statement through her office, Delia Ramirez responded to the backlash, stating, “Honoring my Guatemalan ancestry only strengthens my commitment to America. That is the truth I carry with me always.”

She added, “Anyone who denies our claim on this country simply because we dare to honor our diverse heritage and immigrant roots only exposes how fragile and small-minded their own idea of America really is.”

Ramirez sits on the House Committee on Homeland Security and is in what she describes as a “mixed-status marriage.” Her husband, Boris, is undocumented, and she has described herself as a fighter for “the rights of dreamers like my husband.”

On her website, she also criticized US foreign policy, saying the country prioritizes “imperialism, militarization, conquest, control, competition in its attempt at domination."

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