Ilhan Omar says her US-born son was stopped by immigration agents

Member of US Congress says her son was released after he showed his passport ID

Ilhan Omar, a Democratic Representative from Minnesota, says Washington and US immigration agents are profiling Somali immigrants. Her son, born in the US, was stopped and questioned by agents. Getty ImagesShow less

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has said her son was stopped by immigration agents in Minnesota and asked to provide proof of citizenship.

US President Donald Trump has targeted the large Somali population in Minnesota in recent weeks, claiming many have engaged in fraud and other crimes. He has described Somali immigrants as "garbage”.

“Yesterday, after he made a stop at Target, he did get pulled over by ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] agents,” Ms Omar told WCCO-TV on Sunday, saying her son was born in the US. “Once he was able to produce his passport ID, they did let him go.”

She added that ICE agents had entered a mosque where her son was praying.

Ms Omar immigrated to the US when she was 12, fleeing the civil war in Somalia. She accused immigration agents of racially profiling the Somali-American community.

“They are looking for young men who look Somali that they think are undocumented,” she said.

The Democratic congresswoman announced last week two inquiries into the administration's immigration crackdown in Minnesota against the Somali community.

In an op-ed for MS NOW on Saturday, Ms Omar wrote that “the purpose of Trump’s immigration agenda: to make black and brown Americans, permanent residents, documented workers, international students, tourists and refugees all feel like they do not belong here, regardless of what the law says”.

Mr Trump has made cracking down on illegal immigration – and immigration in general, in terms of issuing visas and accepting refugees – a priority for his administration. Raids in major cities on areas known to have large immigrant populations have resulted in thousands of arrests and deportations.

Ms Omar and the Somali-American community became the focus of the President's ire during a Cabinet meeting earlier this month. Ms Omar, in particular, has become a major target for Mr Trump's Make America Great Again movement, with some of her fellow members of Congress calling for the revocation of her citizenship.

"Look at their nation, look how bad their nation – it's not even a nation, it's just a people walking around killing each other,” he said. "These Somalians have taken billions of dollars out of our country. They've taken billions and billions of dollars.”

He did not provide evidence for the latter claim, though Minnesota is currently investigating incidences of large-scale fraud during the Covid pandemic, including the Feeding Our Futures scam that stole about $250 million from a programme meant to help children in need.

The administration announced this month that it was halting all immigration applications for people from 19 "high-risk” countries, including Somalia.