Donald Trump’s vigorous enforcement of ICE raids across various regions of the U.S. has only intensified discontent each day. Minneapolis has emerged as a primary example of this intensified federal action.
The ongoing protests challenge the aggressive tactics often employed by federal forces. U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, a prominent critic of the Republican administration’s approach, compared the ordeal to conditions in Somalia.
As persistent ICE raids unsettle Minnesota’s immigrant communities, Ilhan denounced them by comparing the operations to those in Somalia.
Being a Somali refugee herself, Omar spoke during a Democratic field hearing and said, “I don’t want to curse, but those of us who escaped places like that, the one place where we thought we would never experience this is the US goddamn states.”
“And we should all be ashamed that it is the United States that is allowing for this to take place, and it is being… broadcast to the rest of the world, where people are calling and saying, ‘Are you sure this is America?’ I am ashamed, and we must do everything that we can to bring back the America we all escaped into,” she added.
pic.twitter.com/NfU7KwSh1T
Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar posted her “U.S. Goddamn States” comments on her X page:
— Byron York (@ByronYork) January 18, 2026
Much like Omar, immigrant communities have been extremely critical of the ICE crackdown. Especially in Minneapolis, the recent killing of Renee Nicole Good by a federal agent has been a volatile mark. It has prompted people to believe that the DHS allows agents to use brute force and even harmful tactics, which can easily intimidate the people.
At the moment, Minneapolis and St Paul are already filled with 3000 federal agents who have been deployed under Trump’s orders. In fact, the U.S. President even attempted to first invoke the Insurrection Act to quell the unrest, but he later backed off.
For Ilhan Omar, her district has now become the epicenter of one of the largest ICE crackdowns. Further in her speech, Omar also spoke about how several Republican colleagues were seemingly comfortable in witnessing their own constituents facing something that is nothing less than ICE terrorism.
In her words, “When my constituents call for help, we don’t ask them who they voted for, because that is what it means to be an elected U.S. representative. So it is appalling for our colleagues on the other side of the aisle to be OK with the president carrying out retribution here in Minnesota.
🚨🇺🇸 ARMED LOCAL STANDS GUARD IN MINNESOTA AFTER ICE RAIDS
Things are getting wild in St. Paul after ICE agents raided a house and took 6 people.
Now there’s a dude with a beard and a rifle standing out front like, “This is my neighborhood.”
Locals say agents keep showing up,… pic.twitter.com/syodHPwksm
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) January 19, 2026
She added, “It is appalling for our Republican colleagues to be OK with there being cell detentions in ICE for American citizens. It is appalling for them to be OK with there being checkpoints in American cities where people are asked for their papers.”
“And it is appalling for Americans to have to carry their citizen papers only to be told they are not sure those papers are correct,” Omar concluded.
Coming back to the current volatile situation in Minnesota, around 2400 arrests have been made to date. ICE agents conducting the raids have employed aggressive tactics, affecting both protesters and families.
The killing of Renee Nicole Good, for one, prompted much debate among people. The mom of three was gunned down by ICE agent Jonathan Ross after she refused to step out of her car when being confronted.
