Quick Hit:

Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL) told an audience in Mexico she is “a proud Guatemalan before [she’s] an American,” igniting criticism from DHS and conservatives who say the statement betrays her constitutional oath and allegiance to the country she was elected to serve.

Key Details:

• Ramirez, born in Chicago to Guatemalan parents, made the comment while addressing an audience abroad, prompting critics to question her loyalty to the United States.
• In response, the Department of Homeland Security reposted a quote from President Theodore Roosevelt warning against “hyphenated Americanism” and insisting on pure allegiance to the United States.
• Miami-Dade County Commissioner Roberto J. Gonzalez, a legal immigrant from Guatemala, condemned Ramirez’s remark as “heartbreaking and shameful,” stating: “If you can’t love this country with your whole heart, you don’t deserve to represent it.”

Diving Deeper:

Illinois Democrat Delia Ramirez is under fire after declaring during a trip to Mexico, “I’m a proud Guatemalan before I’m an American.” The comment has reignited concerns about where some elected officials place their loyalty — and whether ethnic identity is being elevated above allegiance to the United States.

Ramirez, who represents a Chicago-area district with a significant Hispanic population, was born in the U.S. to Guatemalan parents who entered the country illegally. Her personal story — including her mother crossing the Rio Grande while pregnant — has been central to her political identity. She’s positioned herself as an advocate for illegal immigrants, a vocal critic of immigration enforcement, and the wife of a DACA recipient.

But her statement in Mexico — placing her Guatemalan identity before her American citizenship — has drawn backlash from all sides.

The Department of Homeland Security didn’t hold back. Quote-tweeting Ramirez’s remarks from its official account, DHS posted a warning from President Theodore Roosevelt:

“There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism… Americanism is a matter of the spirit and of the soul. Our allegiance must be purely to the United States. We must unsparingly condemn any man who holds any other allegiance.”

The message was unmistakable: elected officials in the United States should not be expressing loyalty to foreign nations — particularly not while representing the American people overseas.

But perhaps the strongest rebuke came from Miami-Dade County Commissioner Roberto J. Gonzalez, a Guatemalan immigrant, U.S. Army veteran, and proud American citizen.

“I came to this country as a Guatemalan immigrant, but I stand today as a proud AMERICAN who would give my life for this nation,” Gonzalez wrote Monday. “The United States gave me freedom, dignity, and a future.”

“For a U.S. Congresswoman to say she’s Guatemalan before American is heartbreaking and shameful. If you can’t love this country with your whole heart, you don’t deserve to represent it,” he continued. “🇺🇸 AMERICA FIRST. FOREVER.🇺🇸”