Federal agents searched the Washington, D.C., home of Rep. Ilhan Omar early Monday, an action that has ignited anger and fear among Somali Americans in Minnesota, who say they see the raid as part of a broader pattern of targeting their community. The search was carried out by Homeland Security Investigations, the principal investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, as part of an inquiry into whether Omar or her late father fraudulently filled out citizenship paperwork decades ago. Sources familiar with the matter say the investigation could potentially lead to the congresswoman's denaturalization.
In Minneapolis, home to one of the largest Somali communities in the United States, the reaction was swift and pointed. Jamal Osman, the Somali-born vice president of the Minneapolis City Council, told Fox News Digital that Somalis feel collectively attacked by President Donald Trump. «Our president has broken the law many times. ICE is terrorizing our community, and we're not surprised such action has taken place,» Osman said. He described the raid as evidence of what the administration is willing to do, adding, «We live in the United States, which is the land of the laws. I don't expect Trump or anyone in this matter to break the U.S. Constitution.»
Osman said the president's rhetoric against the Somali community and against Omar specifically has created a climate of fear. «We have seen the threats, the horrific language he uses against my community. It's unacceptable, and we're hoping this could stop,» he said. His message to the president was blunt: «Stop it. We're American citizens like everyone else.»
A 37-year-old social worker named Abdi, who declined to give his last name or appear on camera, said the raid felt personal. «I feel like raiding a congresswoman — it feels like Donald Trump and his regime wanted to use their power to dehumanize and also humiliate someone that is part of the Congress,» he said. Abdi claimed that Trump «hates Somali people because of Ilhan Omar» and said the president has created hate and division. «It's personal,» he added. «And Ilhan Omar — he doesn't treat her as a congressmember — he treats her as someone who's below him.»
Abdi also raised concerns about the broader implications for citizenship and democratic norms. «If they take the citizenship away from her, then I will say, 'Are we in a dictatorship?' That's using power to use against an American citizen, then maybe the thinking we have for the United States is completely different,» he said.
A 22-year-old Somali American woman, who also declined to be named or filmed, said she was not surprised by the raid. «I thought it was bound to happen soon enough,» she said. «They've been talking about her in a negative manner. The government has been constantly questioning her immigration status and her naturalization in the country. So it was bound to happen for them to investigate her soon enough.»
The White House referred questions about the community's reaction to the president's public comments on Monday. Trump dismissed the raid's significance to him personally. «I've always found her to be totally crooked, personally, but that has nothing to do with me,» he said. «I think she's a terrible person. Just a complainer. She comes from a country that is a non-country, and then she comes over here, and she complains about our Constitution.» He added that any decision rests with the Department of Justice. «I think she's a terrible person, but that's really up to the DOJ. I have nothing to do with it.»
Omar has not been seen publicly since the raid, but she responded on social media Monday afternoon, calling the search an «outrageous abuse of power» and an «unprecedented escalation in the weaponization of federal law enforcement to target political enemies.» She said Trump has relentlessly targeted her for a decade and that the raid was a pointless escalation. «The Congresswoman has done nothing wrong. No president should be able to use the power of the federal government to intimidate his political enemies,» she said.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Omar's phone, passport and computers were seized during the search. It remains unclear what other items, if any, were taken from her residence. The investigation continues as the community in Minnesota watches closely, with many expressing a mix of anger, anxiety and a sense that the raid is part of a larger fight over immigration, citizenship and political power.