They Are Hunting Faces: Omar Says ICE Stopped Her Son in Minneapolis. From Mosque to Target Parking Lot.
MINNEAPOLIS — Congresswoman Ilhan Omar said U.S. immigration agents briefly detained her son over the weekend in Minnesota, an incident she described as emblematic of what she called racially targeted enforcement as the Trump administration intensifies immigration operations in Somali-majority neighborhoods.
In an interview with Minneapolis broadcaster WCCO on Sunday, Omar said her son was pulled over by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents after leaving a Target store. She said he was released once he presented his U.S. passport.
“Once he was able to produce his passport ID, they did let him go,” Omar said, adding that her son routinely carries identification because of heightened anxiety within the community.
Omar also said that earlier in the day, ICE agents entered a mosque where her son had been praying, before leaving without making arrests. She said the encounter reinforced her concerns that federal agents are engaging in racial profiling under an operation known as Operation Metro Surge, which has deployed immigration officers across the Twin Cities.
“I told him how worried I am,” Omar said. “They are racially profiling. They are looking for young men who look Somali that they think are undocumented.”
The Democratic lawmaker, who has represented Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District since 2019, is the first Somali American elected to the U.S. Congress and a frequent target of political attacks by President Donald Trump. In recent remarks, Trump referred to Somali immigrants as “garbage” and suggested Omar should be expelled from the country — comments that civil rights groups and local officials have condemned as openly racist.
The Trump administration has framed the Minnesota operation as part of a broader effort to remove undocumented immigrants with criminal records. However, Omar and other critics argue the tactics being used — including traffic stops and visible enforcement near mosques and commercial centers — are creating fear among law-abiding residents, many of whom are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.
Last week, Omar sent a formal letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, accusing the agency of “blatant racial profiling” and conduct “designed for social media rather than befitting a law enforcement agency.” She said reports from constituents describe unnecessary force and intimidation, particularly toward young men.
Minnesota is home to the largest Somali diaspora in the United States, with tens of thousands of Somali Americans concentrated in Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs. Many families arrived as refugees during the civil war of the 1990s and have since built businesses, civic institutions, and political influence. Local officials, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, have defended the community, noting that most Somali residents are U.S. citizens and contribute significantly to the city’s economy and cultural life.
Civil liberties advocates warn that aggressive enforcement strategies risk undermining trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement, particularly at a time when national rhetoric around immigration has grown increasingly hostile.
For Omar, the encounter involving her son has personal and political resonance. “No one should have to carry their passport just to go about their daily life,” she said. “That is not what equal protection under the law looks like.”
The Department of Homeland Security has not publicly commented on Omar’s account of the incident. ICE has previously said its operations are intelligence-driven and not based on race or ethnicity.
As enforcement activity continues, community leaders say the broader impact may extend beyond immigration policy — reshaping how Somali Americans perceive their place in the country and how visible they feel they can safely be.
