Rep. Ilhan Omar said Sunday that her son was recently stopped by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and was only allowed to leave after producing his passport, an account she offered as part of broader accusations that federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota is being driven by racial profiling.
Omar shared the story during an interview with Minnesota CBS affiliate WCCO, speaking with anchor Esme Murphy. According to Omar, the incident happened after her son made a routine stop at a Target store. “Yesterday, after he made a stop at Target, he did get pulled over by ICE agents, and once he was able to produce his passport ID, they did let him go,” Omar said.
Murphy pressed for clarification, asking whether Omar’s son had his passport with him during the shopping trip. “So your son went to Target last night with his passport?” Murphy asked.
“He always carries it with him,” Omar responded.
“In case he gets pulled over?” Murphy followed up. “Which he did, by ICE.”
“Yes,” Omar replied.
Omar also said that ICE agents had entered a mosque where her son was present but left without detaining anyone. She said those encounters have heightened her concern for her family. “I’ve had to remind him just how worried I am,” Omar said, adding that the areas being discussed by immigration authorities are places where her son “could possibly find himself.”
Omar accused ICE of targeting individuals based on appearance. “They are racially profiling, they are looking for young men who look Somali that they think are undocumented,” she claimed.
The interview followed a letter Omar sent days earlier to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, demanding explanations for what she described as aggressive and discriminatory immigration enforcement activity in Minnesota. In the letter, Omar alleged that ICE operations were driven by rhetoric from President Donald Trump.
“Constituents, advocates, and local officials have documented blatant racial profiling, an egregious level of unnecessary force, and activity that appears designed for social media rather than befitting a law enforcement agency,” Omar wrote. She said she was demanding answers on behalf of constituents whose “constitutional rights are being violated on a daily basis.”
Omar further claimed that the enforcement surge was a direct response to what she described as Trump’s “racist comments” about Somali people and about her personally. In the letter, she cited remarks she attributed to Trump earlier this month, saying he referred to Somali immigrants as “garbage” and said he did not want them in the country.
Omar’s comments come as immigration enforcement continues to be a flashpoint issue nationwide. While ICE has not publicly commented on the specific encounter Omar described, the congresswoman has framed the incident as evidence of what she says is a broader pattern of racial profiling tied to federal immigration policy under the Trump administration.
The claims have sparked debate, with supporters echoing Omar’s concerns and critics questioning the accuracy of her account and arguing that ICE agents are tasked with enforcing federal law, not targeting individuals based on race.
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