This week was a rather one for Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and ICE.
First, Omar sent a letter to ICE demanding more clarity regarding its recent operations in Minneapolis, then she claimed that her own son had been stopped by agents.
ICE just returned fire, denying Omar's claim as inaccurate.
On Sunday, it was reported that Omar had sent a letter to the DHS, allegedly wanting more information about the immigration crackdown ordered after massive fraud was exposed in her home state of Minnesota.
She claimed that witnesses saw "blatant racial profiling" and "an egregious level of unnecessary force" on the part of ICE agents.
The lawmaker added, "It is clear to me that this surge came in direct response to Trump's racist comments about Somali people, and about me in particular.”
Omar also did local media interviews on Sunday, claiming, "It's really disturbing and creepy to have the president of the United States be obsessed with you and those who share your ethnicity.”
During an interview with WCCO-TV in Minneapolis, Omar claimed that her own son had been stopped by agents.
Omar stated, “Yesterday, after he made a stop at Target, he did get pulled over by ICE agents. Once he was able to produce his passport ID, they did let him go.”
She went on to accuse agents of racially profiling, stating, “They are looking for young men who look Somali that they think are undocumented.”
Minnesota has one of the largest concentrations of Somalian immigrants in the country, with about 80,000 living there.
If Omar's son really had been stopped, it should have been recorded in the agents’ activity logs, but ICE just responded, claiming that the agency has no evidence that what she claimed was true.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons responded to Omar's allegations, stating, “ICE has absolutely zero record of its officers or agents pulling over Congresswoman Omar’s son. It speaks volumes that Congresswoman Omar is leveling this accusation with absolutely zero proof.”
Omar’s office then responded, “The congresswoman’s son and others were pulled over by ICE, racially profiled, and forced to prove their citizenship with a passport. ICE has long operated as a rogue agency beyond reform. It’s no surprise that an agency known for disappearing people also can’t keep its records straight. ICE now claims it has records of all the stops, and our office would welcome the opportunity to review them.”
What I find interesting is that in Omar’s account, she says that her son produced his passport ID to show agents, which is why he was ultimately let go. How many people do you know, let alone a 20-something, who carry around their passport as a form of ID when they are in their hometown? My gut tells me that Omar is lying through her teeth on this one.
