Democratic Congresswoman from Minnesota Ilhan Omar revealed that officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stopped her son outside a Target store and demanded that he prove he was an American citizen. She said her son was able to show his U.S. passport before being released, adding that he carries it with him at all times out of fear of encountering such situations.
Omar also noted that immigration officers had previously entered a mosque where her son was praying with others, but left without arresting anyone. She stressed that she lives in constant fear of racial profiling targeting young people with Somali features. “They are engaging in racial profiling and looking for young men they believe are undocumented,” she said, as reported by the US Mirror.
Escalating ICE Raids and Political Backlash in Minnesota
Omar Pushes Back Against Trump’s Attacks and ICE Practices
Omar herself has been a frequent target of Trump’s attacks. He has repeatedly claimed that she entered the United States “illegally,” despite the fact that she arrived as a refugee from Somalia and became a U.S. citizen in 2000 at the age of 17. At a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on December 9, Trump promoted a baseless racist conspiracy theory against her, claiming she “married her brother to gain entry” and called for her to be “immediately expelled.”
In response to these developments, Omar sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, accusing the agency of “racial profiling” and the “excessive and unjustified use of force.” She emphasized that these actions were a direct response to Trump’s racist statements against the Somali people and against her personally.