Congresswoman Ilhan Omar says ICE agents pulled over her son in Minnesota

Chris Stein

Mon, December 15, 2025 at 9:38 AM CST

2 min read

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Representative Ilhan Omar speaks during a news conference on 24 May 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington.Photograph: Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar told a Minneapolis broadcaster that her son had been stopped over the weekend by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, after Donald Trump ordered an operation targeting the Minnesota city’s Somali population.

“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 said on Sunday in an interview with WCCO.

She added that her son, who she did not name, had earlier been praying at a mosque when ICE agents arrived and entered, before leaving without incident. She noted that he “always carries” his passport with him.

Related: Ilhan Omar calls Trump’s anti-Somali tirade ‘completely disgusting’

Following that encounter, Omar said she told her son, “just how worried I am, because all of these areas that they are talking about are areas where he could possibly find himself in and they are racially profiling, they are looking for young men who look Somali that they think are undocumented.”

Omar, who has represented Minnesota’s largest city in the House of Representatives since 2019, is the first Somali American congresswoman, and a frequent target of attacks from Trump and his allies.

The president recently went on a racist rant against Somalis, calling them “garbage” and saying Omar “should be thrown the hell out of our country”. Omar was born in Somalia but became a US citizen in 2000.

The Trump administration has deployed immigration agents to Minnesota’s Twin Cities area to target undocumented Somalis and Latinos. Last week, Omar sent a letter to Kristi Noem, the US homeland security secretary, and Todd Lyons, the acting ICE director, saying the enforcement, dubbed “Operation Metro Surge”, has resulted in “blatant racial profiling, an egregious level of unnecessary force, and activity that appears designed for social media rather than befitting a law enforcement agency.”

Who is driving around and when asked for their ID, provides their passport?

1 minute ago, racinfarmer said:

Who is driving around and when asked for their ID, provides their passport?

I carry my passport card in my wallet. I’ve been stopped twice by border patrol. Once in Texas and again in California. A passport serves as a real id. Gets you on your way faster than a drivers license. Give them two real ids and they’re gone almost immediately

Edited December 15, 2025Dec 15 by spin_dry

9 minutes ago, spin_dry said:

I carry my passport card in my wallet. I’ve been stopped twice by border patrol. Once in Texas and again in California. A passport serves as a real id. Gets you on your way faster than a drivers license. Give them two real ids and they’re gone almost immediately

Yeah, but driving around your hometown area with your passport? I get it for you just having it ready, but I travel more then I care to think about in the US and I've never thought to bring my passport with me. Only when I was going to Mexico for work. Even the checkpoint between San Diego and Mexicali on 8(?) was fine with my DL.

There is something that really isn't passing the sniff test in what is being reported and I'm not quite sure what it is.

Just now, racinfarmer said:

Yeah, but driving around your hometown area with your passport? I get it for you just having it ready, but I travel more then I care to think about in the US and I've never thought to bring my passport with me. Only when I was going to Mexico for work. Even the checkpoint between San Diego and Mexicali on 8(?) was fine with my DL.

There is something that really isn't passing the sniff test in what is being reported and I'm not quite sure what it is.

If I were Mexican, middle eastern, or African I’d carry a passport wherever I went. The Supreme Court ruled that ice can detain anyone based on skin color/appearance. I was stopped just shy of 100 miles from the Mexican border at a tactical, border patrol checkpoint. I was ordered out of the van and they did a quick peek inside. Of course they did an alcohol sniff test too. Suspicion was the van itself and not being able to see inside. A passport and DL gets you on your way a lot quicker. Two forms of ID containing a RFID is in your favor. I applaud the kid for being smart in today’s climate

Edited December 15, 2025Dec 15 by spin_dry

2 minutes ago, spin_dry said:

If I were Mexican, middle eastern, or African I’d carry a passport wherever I went. The Supreme Court ruled that ice can detain anyone based on skin color/appearance. I was stopped just shy of 100 miles from the Mexican border at a tactical, border patrol checkpoint. I was ordered out of the van and they did a quick peek inside. Of course they did an alcohol sniff test too. Suspicion was the van itself and not being able to see inside. A passport and DL gets you on your way a lot quicker. Two forms of ID containing a RFID is in your favor

I'll note that I re-read the article and it says "Passport ID". On the assumption that is a card, it is much more understandable.

I have the enhanced CDL, whatever that gets me seems to work just fine for anywhere I've been in the US.

Another thing to add to my collection 😉

16 minutes ago, ViperGTS/Z1 said:

Another thing to add to my collection 😉

You’re like a nephew of mine who waiting for his Beenie Baby collection to take off again.

On 12/15/2025 at 5:45 PM, racinfarmer said:

I'll note that I re-read the article and it says "Passport ID". On the assumption that is a card, it is much more understandable.

I have the enhanced CDL, whatever that gets me seems to work just fine for anywhere I've been in the US.

Sounds like the whole thing about her kid getting pulled over by ICE might be all bullshit.

46 minutes ago, spin_dry said:

Sounds like the whole thing about her kid getting pulled over by ICE might be all bullshit.

From which side?

I could see it going either way, but due to my general political ideology, I have the way I'd prefer to see it too.

Like I said, something just doesn't sound right to me, whether it is ICE stopping someone for speeding or the whole presenting them with a passport instead of a MN DL.

2 minutes ago, racinfarmer said:

From which side?

I could see it going either way, but due to my general political ideology, I have the way I'd prefer to see it too.

Like I said, something just doesn't sound right to me, whether it is ICE stopping someone for speeding or the whole presenting them with a passport instead of a MN DL.

Sounds like your sniffer might’ve been dead on. ICE has no record for her son being stopped. Sounds like it might’ve been all made up by either her or her son.

Just now, spin_dry said:

Sounds like your sniffer might’ve been dead on. ICE has no record for her son being stopped. Sounds like it might’ve been all made up by either her or her son.

The one that really doesn't make sense to me is they are ICE, why the hell would they not only be stopping people for speeding (where the likely have no jurisdiction), but why would they even have the equipment in their vehicles?

Fukin liar... corrupt POS

22 hours ago, racinfarmer said:

The one that really doesn't make sense to me is they are ICE, why the hell would they not only be stopping people for speeding (where the likely have no jurisdiction), but why would they even have the equipment in their vehicles?

What equipment? dunno