DHS disputes Omar claim ICE stopped her son
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said it has 'zero record' of ICE agents pulling over Rep. Ilhan Omar’s son after a Target trip, contradicting Omar’s Sunday WCCO interview in which she said he was released after showing a passport. The DHS statement, which also criticized the accusation as demonizing ICE, comes amid expanded immigration enforcement operations in the Twin Cities targeting the Somali community.
📌 Key Facts
- Rep. Ilhan Omar told WCCO that ICE agents pulled over her son and released him after he produced a passport
- DHS issued a statement saying it has 'zero record' of such a stop and called the claim a PR stunt that demonizes ICE
- The dispute unfolds during a surge of ICE activity in the Twin Cities focused on Somali nationals
📊 Relevant Data
There were about 430 Somalis living in Minnesota with Temporary Protected Status as of November 2025.
There were about 430 Somalis living in Minnesota with Temporary Protected Status — Star Tribune (via Facebook)
36.4% of Somalis in Minnesota live below the poverty line, compared to the state average of around 9%.
Somali population - Cultural communities - Minnesota Compass — Minnesota Compass
ICE's Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis targeted and arrested criminal illegal aliens, including pedophiles, domestic abusers, and gang members.
ICE Arrests Worst of the Worst Criminal Illegal Aliens During Operation Metro Surge — Department of Homeland Security
73.9% of Somalis in Minnesota have a high school degree or higher, but 31.2% receive food stamps/SNAP benefits.
Latest Data on Somali Minnesotans 2024 — Empowering Strategies
Approximately 107,000 people of Somali descent live in Minnesota, representing about 2% of the state's population, with 78% residing in the Twin Cities.
By the numbers: Minnesota's Somali population, according to Census data — KTTC
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