Rep. Ilhan Omar says her U.S.-born son was stopped by ICE agents outside a Target in Minnesota and released after showing his passport, sparking fresh debate over enforcement tactics, alleged racial profiling and the broader Operation Metro Surge that has led to hundreds of arrests across the state.
Omar recounted the encounter in a local TV interview, saying, “Yesterday after he made a stop at Target, he did get pulled over by ICE agents and once he was able to produce his passport ID they did let him go.” She added that her son carries his passport out of worry about being mistaken for an undocumented immigrant.
Her family’s story has fed into a larger accusation that federal agents are singling out communities. “I had to remind him just how worried I am because all of these areas they’re talking about are areas where he can possibly find himself in and they are racially profiling,” she said, adding that ICE is “looking for young men who look Somali.”
Governor Tim Walz weighed in on social media, saying, “This isn’t a targeted operation to find violent criminals, it’s racial profiling,” and he has pressed federal officials about the campaign in Minnesota. Last week Walz also wrote a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem asking her to “reassess” her enforcement strategy amid reports of citizens being detained.
Federal authorities say the operation has rounded up more than 400 people and emphasize that the sweep targeted “pedophiles, rapists and violent thugs.” Supporters of the raids argue the arrests are about public safety, not politics, and say detaining dangerous individuals should be a top priority for any administration.
President Donald Trump has defended the actions and used blunt language about critics, telling reporters that Omar is “very bad for our country.” He also accused a bloc of migrants of causing problems, calling them “garbage” and saying Somalia “is barely a country, where they run around killing each other.”
Trump doubled down on his rhetoric in public remarks, saying, “When they come from hell, and they complain and do nothing but bit** — we don’t want them in our country. Let ’em go back to where they came from and fix it,” which supporters point to as a no-nonsense stance on border control and detention policies.
Critics argue that the tone and the methods risk alienating immigrant communities and eroding trust in law enforcement. “This troubling pattern raised serious questions, not only about due process and the rights of U.S. citizens, but also about trust between Minnesota communities and federal authorities,” he added, reflecting worries that ordinary people could be swept up in aggressive enforcement.
The Department of Homeland Security pushed back on some of the complaints, with spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin saying that Americans “who assault and obstruct law enforcement have been arrested.” Her office framed arrests as the result of criminal behavior, not random stops, and stressed that officers respond to threats as they are identified.
The episode in Minnesota puts two political instincts in direct conflict: the push for tougher enforcement and the demand for civil liberties and community trust. With both sides using vivid examples and blunt language, the dispute looks set to stay in the headlines as officials and residents debate how to balance public safety with protection of citizen rights.
