President Donald Trump ignited a political firestorm late Sunday after declaring that “Squad” Rep. Ilhan Omar should be jailed or deported, tying his remarks to a sprawling welfare fraud scandal unfolding in Minnesota that investigators say involves billions of dollars in taxpayer funds.
“Fake ‘Congresswoman’ Illhan [sic] Omar, a constant complainer who hates the USA, should be in jail, or even a worse punishment, sent back to Somalia, considered one of the absolutely worst countries in the World,” the Trump raged on Truth Social on Sunday. “She could help to MAKE SOMALIA GREAT AGAIN!”
Donald Trump claimed the Minnesota Democrat was fully aware of the sweeping welfare fraud scheme engulfing her state, saying she “knows everything there is to know” about the misconduct investigators allege drained billions of dollars from public assistance programs.
🚨 BOOM! President Trump just confirmed Ilhan Omar MUST be deported to Somalia because of her involvement in the billion dollar fraud scandal
“There is 19 Billion Dollars in Minnesota Somalia Fraud. Fake “Congresswoman” Illhan Omar, a constant complainer who hates the USA, knows… pic.twitter.com/xlymKqaPSS
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 19, 2026
Federal and state authorities have described the Minnesota case as one of the largest public assistance fraud scandals in U.S. history. While U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson has previously cited confirmed losses of roughly $9 billion, Department of Homeland Security officials have suggested the total scope of suspected fraud could be far higher as investigations continue.
Although prosecutors have not directly tied Ilhan Omar to the fraud scheme — which has resulted in criminal charges against 98 individuals so far — questions have mounted around her personal finances. According to a New York Post report, Omar’s net worth appeared to surge dramatically over roughly a one-year period, climbing as high as an estimated $30 million, though exact figures are not disclosed in House financial filings. If accurate, that would represent an increase of approximately 3,500 percent compared to her reported finances in 2023.
The Post report attributed much of the sudden jump in wealth to the explosive growth of Ilhan Omar’s husband’s investment firm, Rose Lake Capital. The firm’s valuation reportedly rocketed from near zero in 2023 to an estimated range between $5 million and $25 million within a year. The report also noted that his winery business — which has faced fraud-related accusations — experienced a sharp valuation increase as well, rising to an estimated value between $1 million and $5 million in 2024.
Those financial questions have now drawn congressional scrutiny. The House of Representatives Oversight Committee has moved to subpoena records from Omar’s husband, seeking documentation tied to the extraordinary surge in wealth tied to his business ventures. Committee Chairman James Comer said the pace and scale of the financial growth raised serious red flags. “There are a lot of questions as to how her husband accumulated so much wealth over the past two years,” Comer told The Post. “It’s not possible. It’s not. I’m a money guy. It’s not possible.”
🚨 PRESIDENT TRUMP DROPS THE HAMMER!
“We’re going to REVOKE the citizenship of any naturalized immigrant from Somalia or anywhere else who is convicted of defrauding our citizens!”
I VOTED FOR THIS! pic.twitter.com/vng6yQH7T7
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) January 19, 2026
Ilhan Omar has been a U.S. citizen since 2000 after emigrating to the United States from Somalia. Trump has repeatedly suggested she should be deported, renewing those calls in his latest remarks while accusing her of disloyalty and indifference to American taxpayers. Omar, who represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, has not directly responded to Trump’s latest comments and has previously dismissed similar attacks as politically motivated, denying any involvement in fraud schemes.
The attack on Omar by Trump came as he also pointed to his administration’s sweeping immigration enforcement push in Minnesota, touting what he described as the removal of dangerous criminal offenders from American communities.
“ICE is removing some of the most violent criminals in the World from our Country, and bring them back home, where they belong. Why is Minnesota fighting this?” Trump wrote in a separate post. He followed with a blistering challenge to state leaders and protesters alike: “Do they really want murderers and drug dealers to be ensconced in their community? The thugs that are protesting include many highly paid professional agitators and anarchists. Is this really what Minnesota wants?”
The remarks came as Minnesota has filed a lawsuit seeking to block the Trump administration’s ICE surge in the state. Federal officials have confirmed that roughly 3,000 immigration enforcement officers have converged on the Minneapolis area as part of the operation, with the president also publicly weighing the possibility of deploying military troops to assist with enforcement if resistance continues.
As legal battles escalate and political tensions intensify, Trump has made clear he views Minnesota as a proving ground for his broader immigration and enforcement agenda — and that neither lawsuits nor protests will deter his administration’s push to remove criminal offenders and restore what he calls law and order.
