Rep. Ilhan Omar’s conflict with the Trump administration’s immigration system became widely known on Tuesday after the Department of Homeland Security accused the Minnesota Democrat of fabricating a story about her son being stopped by ICE.
The agency issued a harsh denial on its official X account, claiming Omar’s version does not align with anything in its records. “ICE has absolutely ZERO record of its officers or agents pulling over Congresswoman Omar’s son,” DHS stated.
The department went further, calling it “shameful” that Omar made the claim “with no evidence” and argued she was trying to “demonize ICE as part of a PR stunt.” DHS also rejected Omar’s broader accusation that immigration enforcement targets people based on ethnicity and strongly pushed back against the idea of racial profiling.
“Allegations that ICE engages in ‘racial profiling’ are disgusting, reckless, and categorically FALSE. What makes someone a target for immigration enforcement is if they are illegally in the U.S., NOT their skin color, race, or ethnicity,” the agency explained, adding that “Under the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, DHS law enforcement uses ‘reasonable suspicion’ to make arrests.”
The dispute stems from remarks Omar made during a local TV appearance in Minnesota over the weekend. She described what she said happened to her son during an operation she claimed was aimed at Somalis.
ICE has absolutely ZERO record of its officers or agents pulling over Congresswoman Omar’s son.
With no evidence, it is shameful that Congresswoman Omar would level accusations to demonize ICE as part of a PR stunt.
Allegations that ICE engages in ‘racial profiling’ are… https://t.co/WKTz0rpir1
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) December 16, 2025
Omar claimed that her son had been “hassled” by ICE. She warned him that agents were “racially profiling” Somalis and people “they think are undocumented.”
According to Omar, her son had seen ICE agents enter his mosque last Friday, but she said nothing occurred at that time. She went on to describe a different incident the following day after her son stopped at Target.
Omar stated that her son was pulled over by ICE agents and released only after showing proof of citizenship. “And once he was able to produce his passport ID, they let him go,” she said.
The conflicting narratives, one from a sitting member of Congress and one from the agency responsible for immigration enforcement, emerged during a heated political moment. Omar described the incident as intimidation, while DHS say it as a baseless claim that unfairly portrays agents as bigots.
Omar has also linked this event to President Donald Trump’s recent comments about her and Somali immigrants, arguing that rhetoric from the top has contributed to enforcement actions and suspicion toward the community.
She shared her story after Trump recently stated he did not want more Somalis, whom he referred to as “garbage,” to come into the U.S.
Omar has publicly stood by her account of her son’s experience, while DHS continues to assert that its agents act based on immigration status, not identity.
It’s not the first time ICE has been accused of racial profiling; several accounts from US citizens claim that they were questioned or even arrested for their ethnicity.
