Representative Ilhan Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota, said her adult son was stopped by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Saturday in Minnesota. The agents asked him to show proof that he is a U.S. citizen. This is concerning because Omar’s son was born in the United States.
According to NBC News, Omar talked to the media on Sunday and explained what happened. She said her son was pulled over by ICE agents right after leaving a Target store. The situation ended when he showed his passport. “Once he was able to produce his passport ID, they did let him go,” Omar said.
Omar came to the U.S. when she was 12 years old after her family left Somalia during the civil war. She accused ICE of racially targeting the Somali community. She believes agents are looking for young Somali men they think don’t have legal papers. About 80,000 people of Somali background live in Minnesota.
The incident follows growing concerns about immigration enforcement in Minnesota
ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and Omar’s office have not commented on Saturday’s incident. However, an administration official said before that ICE is not specifically targeting Somali immigrants. Many lawmakers have been speaking out about what immigrants should know about their legal rights during ICE encounters.
Omar spoke about this issue just two days after she sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security about immigration operations in Minnesota. She also joined other Democratic lawmakers to ask questions about a promise President Donald Trump made last month.
Trump said he would end temporary legal protections for Somalis living in Minnesota right away. The administration has already ended similar protections for people from Haiti, Afghanistan, and Venezuela who live in the U.S.
President Trump has repeatedly criticized both Omar and Somalia. Last week in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, Trump told a crowd, “We always take people from Somalia, places that are a disaster, right?” He called the country “filthy, dirty, disgusting, ridden with crime.”
Trump’s focus on Minnesota and Omar comes after reports that dozens of people of Somali background were convicted for fraud schemes. These schemes stole around $1 billion in Covid relief funds. The president has been vocal about his frustrations with the deportation process and immigration enforcement challenges.
However, Omar said people should not blame an entire community for individual crimes. “Here in the United States, we don’t blame the crimes of an individual on a whole community,” Omar said. She added that she and other Minnesotans are angry that tax dollars were stolen through fraud.
Published: Dec 15, 2025 03:45 pm