Congresswoman Ilhan Omar Details ICE Stop of Her Son at Target Store

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., reported that federal immigration agents stopped her son over the weekend and required him to prove his U.S. citizenship, adding to growing controversy over heightened Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in Minnesota.

According to Omar, her son—a U.S. citizen who routinely carries a passport—was pulled over by ICE agents after leaving a Target store on Saturday. The agent released him once he presented the required documentation.

“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 stated in a Sunday interview. She did not specify her son’s age or details about the traffic stop.

Omar expressed concern that the recent enforcement initiative, locally criticized as biased, is targeting “young men who look Somali” whom she believes are undocumented.

Earlier this week, she recounted another incident where ICE agents entered a mosque where her son was praying but left without detaining anyone.

The Trump administration has significantly increased immigration enforcement in Minnesota under an initiative known as Operation Metro Surge. This operation has dispatched additional ICE agents to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area to pursue undocumented immigrants, particularly within Somali and Latino communities.

Minnesota, which houses the largest Somali population in the nation, has seen critics warn that the federal operations are sweeping up U.S. citizens alongside undocumented individuals. Local activists have reported multiple arrests of people who later identified themselves as citizens.

In a letter sent last week to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons, Omar described the enforcement push as exhibiting “blatant racial profiling” and an “egregious level of unnecessary force.” The complaint cited detentions of U.S. citizens who produced documentation proving their lawful presence.

Omar has also launched two formal congressional inquiries into the administration’s Minnesota enforcement operation, seeking details on how ICE officials are conducting sweeps and whether civil rights violations have occurred. The letters were cosigned by several Democratic lawmakers.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat, echoed concerns about racial profiling, stating that Omar’s son was “following the law” and that the incident highlighted issues with federal enforcement tactics.

The Trump administration defended its immigration efforts in Minnesota as necessary to enforce federal law. However, an official response to Omar’s specific claims about her son has not been immediately available.

Minneapolis Somali community leaders and civil rights advocates have rallied against the federal operation, stating it undermines trust within immigrant communities and puts lawful residents at risk of unjust detentions.