Rep. Ilhan Omar Says Son Was Pulled Over By ICE After Target Run

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Rep. Ilhan Omar says her son was pulled over by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minnesota, an incident that has escalated a public dispute between Minnesota leaders and the Trump administration over ICE operations in the Twin Cities.

Omar said the stop occurred after her son made a stop at Target, she told WCCO.

"Yesterday, after he made a stop at Target, he did get pulled over by [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] agents, and once he was able to produce his passport ID, they did let him go," Omar said.

Omar said her son, a U.S. citizen, "always carries" his passport with him.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz publicly backed Omar’s account, saying her son was following the law at the time.

"Congresswoman Omar’s son was pulled over by ICE while he was following the law, on his way home from Target," Walz said on X. "This isn’t a targeted operation to find violent criminals, it’s racial profiling."

The Department of Homeland Security disputed those claims, saying ICE has no record of such a stop.

"ICE has absolutely ZERO record of its officers or agents pulling over Congresswoman Omar’s son," DHS said in a statement. The agency accused Omar of making unsupported accusations and said claims of racial profiling are "disgusting, reckless and categorically FALSE."

DHS said ICE enforcement actions are based on "reasonable suspicion" under the Fourth Amendment and target people who are unlawfully in the United States, not individuals based on race or ethnicity.

Omar’s office said the congresswoman stands by her account and criticized ICE, questioning the agency’s record-keeping and credibility.

Omar also said her son has had previous encounters involving ICE, including an incident in which agents entered a mosque while he and others were praying but left without incident. She said those experiences have increased her concern for her family’s safety and reinforced her belief that ICE is targeting areas frequented by young Somali men based on assumptions about immigration status.

The public spat comes as Omar has launched two formal congressional inquiries related to immigration enforcement and federal immigration policy.

In a letter sent to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Omar demanded answers about what she described as racial profiling tied to an ICE deployment in the Twin Cities known as Operation Metro Surge. The letter cites incidents in which people who identified themselves as U.S. citizens were detained, agents refused to provide warrants, and arrests occurred near homes, schools, and a university campus.

Omar also led a second letter demanding clarification from DHS after President Donald Trump and administration officials suggested Temporary Protected Status for Somali nationals could be abruptly terminated. Somalia has been designated for TPS since 1991 due to ongoing humanitarian crises.

That letter, co-led by several members of Congress, requests details on the legal basis for ending TPS, the administration’s assessment of conditions in Somalia, and the potential consequences for families who have lived in the United States for decades.