Rep. Ilhan Omar says a routine errand for her son ended in a moment that every parent dreads — a traffic stop by federal immigration agents demanding proof of citizenship.
Speaking Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in an interview with CBS Minnesota affiliate WCCO, the Minnesota Democrat said ICE agents pulled her son over after he stopped at a Target store and asked him to prove he was a U.S. citizen.
Only after he produced his passport was he allowed to leave.
For Omar, a Somalia-born refugee who later became a U.S. citizen and a member of Congress, the encounter struck at something deeply personal. It also reinforced fears she has been voicing publicly: that ICE’s recent immigration crackdown in Minnesota is sweeping up people based on how they look rather than what they have done.
“This is exactly what I worry about,” Omar said, describing her fear that young Somali men are being singled out because of their appearance.
She said agents had previously entered a mosque where her son was praying — an incident that ended without arrests but left her shaken.
Omar announced last week that she is launching two congressional inquiries into ICE operations targeting undocumented Somalis in Minnesota.
Her concerns come against the backdrop of harsh rhetoric from President Trump, who has said of immigrants, “I don’t want ’em in our country,” and has previously referred to Omar and Somalis more broadly as “garbage.”
To Omar, the language and the enforcement actions feel connected. She said she now finds herself warning her son about everyday spaces — mosques, stores, streets — places where he could suddenly become a target.
The White House pushed back strongly on Sunday evening. Spokesperson Abigail Jackson said ICE agents are facing a rise in assaults and blamed Democratic lawmakers for what she called “untrue smears” against law enforcement.
“ICE officers act heroically to enforce the law and protect American communities with the utmost professionalism,” Jackson said in a statement, adding that critics are “doing the bidding of criminal illegal aliens.”
ICE and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Beyond the political clash, the episode has resonated with many immigrant families who say it captures a growing sense of vulnerability — even for citizens — amid aggressive enforcement and charged national rhetoric.
For Omar, the issue is no longer abstract policy. It is the image of her own son, pulled over and asked to prove he belongs in the country they call home.
