On a chilly Saturday in December 2025, an ordinary shopping trip for Rep. Ilhan Omar’s son became the latest flashpoint in Minnesota’s intensifying immigration debate. After stopping at a Target store, Omar’s U.S.-born son was pulled over by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents—a moment that has since sparked fierce accusations of racial profiling and fueled a broader outcry over federal enforcement tactics in the state.
"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," Rep. Omar told WCCO, CBS’s Minnesota affiliate, on Sunday. She explained that her son, who was born in the United States, routinely carries his passport to avoid being mistaken for an undocumented immigrant. "He always carries his passport with him," she noted, underscoring the anxiety that has gripped many young Somali Americans in Minnesota amid a surge of federal immigration operations.
The incident did not occur in isolation. Earlier that same day, ICE agents reportedly entered a mosque where Omar’s son had been praying, though they left without incident, according to multiple sources including The Guardian and Fox News. Omar said she warned her son to be careful, emphasizing that recent enforcement efforts appear focused on neighborhoods with large Somali populations. "They are racially profiling, they are looking for young men who look Somali that they think are undocumented," she stated in her interview with WCCO.
These concerns come as the Trump administration has ramped up immigration enforcement in Minnesota, particularly targeting Somali and Latino communities in the Twin Cities through an initiative dubbed "Operation Metro Surge." According to ICE, more than 400 people were detained on Friday, December 12, 2025, in what the agency described as a crackdown on "pedophiles, rapists and violent thugs." The Department of Homeland Security’s Assistant Secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, criticized local officials, saying, "Tim Walz and Jacob Frey failed to protect the people of Minnesota."
But state leaders and community advocates see things differently. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat, publicly condemned the ICE operation, calling the stop of Omar’s son "racial profiling." In a post on X, Walz wrote, "Congresswoman Omar’s son was pulled over by ICE while he was following the law, on his way home from Target. This isn’t a targeted operation to find violent criminals, it’s racial profiling." Walz also sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem urging her to "reassess" the enforcement strategy, citing reports that multiple U.S. citizens had been arrested during the sweeps. "This troubling pattern raises serious questions, not only about due process and the rights of U.S. citizens, but also about trust between Minnesota communities and federal authorities," Walz wrote, as reported by Fox News.
Rep. Omar, the first Somali American elected to Congress, has herself been a frequent target of President Donald Trump’s verbal attacks. During a press conference on Friday, December 12, 2025, Trump called Omar "very bad for our country" and referred to Somalians as "garbage." He went further, saying, "She comes out of a country [that] has no government, they have no military, they have no police, they don’t have a country. She comes over here and tells the United States of America how it should be run. We don’t wanna hear from her." Trump has repeatedly defended the ICE operations, insisting they are necessary to protect Americans from crime.
Omar, however, sees a more sinister motive behind the enforcement surge. In a letter to Homeland Security officials, she described the operation as involving "blatant racial profiling, an egregious level of unnecessary force, and activity that appears designed for social media rather than befitting a law enforcement agency." She warned that the increased federal presence poses a threat not just to undocumented immigrants, but also to U.S. citizens who happen to be Somali American or simply "look Somali." "I had to remind him just how worried I am because all of these areas they’re talking about are areas where he can possibly find himself in and they are racially profiling," Omar said of her son’s experience.
The local Somali community, which numbers in the tens of thousands, has long felt the weight of suspicion and scrutiny. According to The Minnesota Daily, most Somalians in Minnesota are either U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Yet, as Omar and Walz both emphasized, the fear of being targeted by ICE is pervasive. Omar’s son’s habit of carrying his passport, though born and raised in the U.S., is emblematic of a wider anxiety among young Somali men.
Federal officials, for their part, defend the aggressive tactics. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital that "Americans who assault and obstruct law enforcement have been arrested." ICE’s press release about the December 12 operation highlighted the detention of individuals accused of serious crimes, but critics argue that the dragnet approach is ensnaring innocent citizens and eroding trust in law enforcement.
The debate has quickly become a political flashpoint, with Democrats accusing the Trump administration of stoking racial animosity and Republicans insisting that tough enforcement is necessary for public safety. President Trump’s rhetoric—calling Somalia "barely a country, where they run around killing each other," and telling Omar to "go back to where they came from and fix it"—has only deepened the divide. Omar, who became a U.S. citizen in 2000 after fleeing civil war in Somalia, has repeatedly spoken out against what she calls the administration’s "incitement of hate" against Somali Americans.
For many in Minnesota’s immigrant communities, the events of December 13 have crystallized longstanding fears about racial profiling and the reach of federal immigration authorities. As Omar put it in her letter to Homeland Security, the current approach "raises serious questions about due process and the rights of U.S. citizens." Governor Walz echoed those concerns, warning that the ongoing operations threaten to undermine trust between local communities and the federal government.
As the debate rages on, one thing is clear: the lines between immigration enforcement, racial profiling, and political posturing have become increasingly blurred in Minnesota. For families like Omar’s, the stakes are deeply personal—and the outcome may shape not just the future of federal enforcement in the state, but also the broader conversation about what it means to be an American.
