david j harrisjr
One of the first things Ilhan Omar did after being elected to the Minnesota legislature in 2016 was write a federal judge asking for leniency instead of long prison terms for nine Somali men convicted of conspiring to join ISIS.
She told Judge Michael Davis that people seek violent solutions when established processes for change are inaccessible to them, and that long sentences would only fuel more extremism. Omar wrote that the men could be rehabilitated and that she wanted them to become part of her community so they could thrive together. She pushed a “restorative approach” of inclusion over punishment.
The nine men had been convicted in federal court for plotting to travel to Syria and fight for ISIS. The judge largely rejected the leniency requests and imposed lengthy sentences, describing the group in terms consistent with a terrorist cell.
This letter is on the public record.
She told Judge Michael Davis that people seek violent solutions when established processes for change are inaccessible to them, and that long sentences would only fuel more extremism. Omar wrote that the men could be rehabilitated and that she wanted them to become part of her community so they could thrive together. She pushed a “restorative approach” of inclusion over punishment.
The nine men had been convicted in federal court for plotting to travel to Syria and fight for ISIS. The judge largely rejected the leniency requests and imposed lengthy sentences, describing the group in terms consistent with a terrorist cell.
This letter is on the public record.
