Rep. Ilhan Omar Claims Son Was Pulled Over by ICE and Forced to Prove Citizenship as Trump Targets Somalis in Minnesota

Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota said her son was pulled over over the weekend by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and asked to provide proof of U.S. citizenship.

In an interview on Sunday, Dec. 14, with WCCO-TV in the Twin Cities, Omar — a frequent critic of President Donald Trump — said her son was stopped after visiting a Target store. She said he showed agents his passport, which he routinely carries, and was then allowed to leave.

Todd Lyons, ICE’s acting director, disputed the claim in a written statement, saying the agency has “absolutely ZERO record of its officers or agents pulling over Congresswoman Omar’s son.” Lyons also accused Omar of attempting to “unfairly demonize” ICE personnel.

The account comes amid escalating tensions between Omar and federal immigration authorities. In a recent letter to the Department of Homeland Security, Omar accused federal agents in the Twin Cities of “blatant racial profiling” and using “an egregious level of unnecessary force,” allegations Lyons also rejected.

“Allegations that ICE engages in ‘racial profiling’ are disgusting, reckless and categorically FALSE,” Lyons said. He added that enforcement actions are based on “reasonable suspicion,” and argued that immigration status — not race or ethnicity — determines who is subject to enforcement.

Omar’s office pushed back. A spokesperson said the congresswoman stands by her account that her son and others were “pulled over by ICE, racially profiled, and forced to prove their citizenship with a passport.”

“ICE has long operated as a rogue agency beyond reform,” the spokesperson said. “It’s no surprise that an agency known for disappearing people also can’t keep its records straight. ICE now claims it has records of all the stops, and our office would welcome the opportunity to review them.”

The dispute follows a recent series of remarks from Trump about Somali immigrants and Omar. Earlier this month, the president called Somali immigrants “garbage” and said he does not want them in the U.S. He made the comments during a cabinet meeting at the White House, also criticizing Omar, who came to the U.S. from Somalia as a refugee and became an American citizen in 2000.

“These are people that do nothing but complain,” Trump said. He added, “When they come from hell and they complain and do nothing but bitch, we don’t want them in our country. Let them go back to where they came from and fix it.”

He also said of Omar and “her friends”: “These aren’t people who work. These aren’t people who say, ‘Let’s go, come on, let’s make this place great.’ ”

After the remarks, the Trump administration launched an immigration enforcement operation targeting undocumented Somali immigrants in the Minneapolis–St. Paul region, according to The New York Times, which reported it had obtained documents about the operation.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz criticized the plan in a Dec. 2 post on X: “We welcome support in investigating and prosecuting crime,” he wrote. “But pulling a PR stunt and indiscriminately targeting immigrants is not a real solution to a problem.”