Ilhan Omar Alleges ICE Stopped Son, Claims Racial Profiling Amidst Increased Scrutiny of Somali Community
A spokesperson for Representative Ilhan Omar stated that federal immigration agents pulled over her son on Saturday and requested proof of his citizenship. The incident has ignited a firestorm of controversy, with accusations of racial profiling leveled against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and denials from agency leadership.
According to the congresswoman, the stop occurred after her son visited a Target store. “Yesterday, after he made a stop at Target, he did get pulled over by [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] agents, and once he was able to produce his passport ID, they did let him go,” Omar shared in an interview with Esme Murphy on WCCO Sunday Morning. She added that her son routinely carries his passport due to heightened concerns.
Omar also revealed a prior incident where ICE agents entered a mosque while her son and others were praying, departing without intervention. This, she explained, prompted a difficult conversation with her son. “I had to remind him just how worried I am, because all of these areas that they are talking about are areas where he could possibly find himself in and they are racially profiling, they are looking for young men who look Somali that they think are undocumented.”
ICE Denies the Allegations
ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons vehemently refuted Omar’s claims, stating the agency has “absolutely zero record of its officers or agents pulling over Congresswoman Omar’s son.” He further accused the congresswoman of attempting to “unfairly demonize our law enforcement officers.” Lyons also dismissed the allegations of racial profiling as “disgusting, reckless and categorically false.”
A spokesperson for Omar’s office stood firm in their support of the congresswoman’s account. “ICE has long operated as a rogue agency beyond reform. It’s no surprise that an agency known for disappearing people also can’t keep its records straight,” the spokesperson said. They added that the office would welcome the opportunity to review any records ICE claims to possess.
Increased Focus on Somali Community
The incident unfolds against a backdrop of increased ICE activity in the Twin Cities, specifically targeting undocumented Somali immigrants. This surge in enforcement began earlier this month and followed statements made by former President Trump, who declared he “doesn’t want them in our country” and disparagingly referred to Omar as “garbage.”
On Friday, Omar sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Todd Lyons, accusing federal agents of “blatant racial profiling” and “an egregious level of unnecessary force” in the Twin Cities. “It is clear to me that this surge came in direct response to Trump’s racist comments about Somali people, and about me in particular,” Omar wrote.
Demographic Context
Minnesota is home to the largest Somali population in the United States, with approximately 107,000 residents, over 80,000 of whom live in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Omar contends that “over 90% of Somalis in America are U.S. citizens,” citing an American Community Survey estimate that around 22,000 Somalis – approximately 8.4% of the population – are not citizens.
Omar herself immigrated to the U.S. from Somalia as a child and became a naturalized citizen in 2000. The current situation raises critical questions about the intersection of immigration enforcement, racial profiling, and political rhetoric within the Somali-American community.
