Ilhan Omar Claims ICE Pulled Over Her Son After Target Run, Blames Trump for ‘Racist Surge’

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) is once again making headlines this time with a shocking claim that her own son was recently “pulled over” by ICE agents after a trip to Target, suggesting that he was only released after showing his U.S. passport.

The incident, which Omar described in a Sunday interview with WCCO CBS News in Minnesota, has raised eyebrows and questions across the political spectrum.

“Yesterday, after he made a stop at Target, he did get pulled over by ICE agents,” Omar told interviewer Esme Murphy, “and once he was able to produce his passport ID, they did let him go.”

Murphy, clearly taken aback, asked Omar to clarify:

“So your son went to Target last night with his passport?”
“He always carries it with him,” Omar replied.
“In case he gets pulled over?”
“Yes.”

Omar then claimed that ICE agents had previously entered a mosque where her son was present, but left without detaining anyone. She argued that immigration agents are targeting Somali men based on racial profiling, suggesting that they are looking for anyone who “looks Somali” and might be undocumented.

The comments come just days after Omar fired off a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, accusing the Trump administration of stoking racial animus and orchestrating ICE operations in Minnesota based on bigotry.

“This surge came in direct response to Trump’s racist comments about Somali people, and about me in particular,” Omar wrote.
“Earlier this month, Trump called Somali immigrants ‘garbage’ and ranted that he does not want us in this country.”

In her letter, Omar claimed that ICE agents were engaged in actions “designed for social media” rather than public safety, and accused the agency of engaging in “blatant racial profiling” and using “unnecessary force.”

But critics were quick to question Omar’s latest statements:

• Why would a U.S. citizen need to carry a passport to go shopping?

• Under what authority would ICE conduct a “traffic stop” without state or local police involvement?

• Are federal immigration agents really roaming Minnesota neighborhoods pulling over random young men?

If true, it raises serious constitutional concerns. But if false or exaggerated, it would be yet another example of Omar using inflammatory rhetoric to push an anti-law enforcement narrative and to demonize federal immigration officials during an election cycle.

It’s worth noting that ICE doesn’t typically conduct routine traffic stops of U.S. citizens, nor does it patrol retail stores like Target without specific leads or warrants. The agency primarily operates through coordinated operations based on immigration status violations or detainer requests.

Meanwhile, President Trump’s campaign has continued to draw attention to growing criminal activity within sanctuary cities and the failures of Democrat-run states to enforce federal immigration law. Trump has promised to restore aggressive ICE enforcement, particularly against criminal aliens and abuse of refugee and asylum programs including those involving Somali nationals, a population that has historically had a high rate of fraudulent asylum filings.

As for Omar, her comments appear to be part of a larger political strategy to portray enforcement of immigration law as racist, and to personalize the narrative by making her family the center of attention. Whether her claims stand up to scrutiny remains to be seen.

But one thing is clear with 2026 approaching, the Left is once again choosing open borders, outrage politics, and race-baiting over national security.

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