Representative Ilhan Omar has been widely criticized and mocked for a social media video in which she claimed that Minnesota has "defeated" Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Omar participated in a popular online trend, filming herself for a mock documentary interview.
"Me preparing for the documentary on how we defeated ICE's racist terror campaign in Minnesota," read the text overlay on Omar's video. She captioned the post, "We're built different in Minnesota." The video gained 3.3 million views on Facebook.
Omar's video comes amidst heightened tensions between Minnesota and ICE. The state became a focal point for protests against the federal agency following the deaths of two Americans, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were fatally shot during demonstrations against ICE agents. In March, Minnesota filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging the federal government failed to cooperate with state investigations into the civilian fatalities. This legal action followed an agreement in January where Trump reportedly agreed to withdraw agents from Minnesota to allow for the state's investigation.
Previously, Minnesota was a significant target for immigration enforcement, particularly after fraud cases involving Somali residents came to light. Operation Metro Surge, one of the largest enforcement operations ever, saw a substantial deployment of federal agents in Minneapolis.
Omar has been an outspoken critic of ICE, advocating for its dismantling and confronting agents at federal facilities. However, her recent video was met with derision from critics. Comments included "You defeated ICE?" and "The delulu is real!! hahaha," using slang for delusional.
Some critics suggested a documentary might be more appropriately focused on alleged fraud within the Somali community, an accusation Omar has denied. Additionally, Aimee Bock, founder of the Feeding Our Future Organization and convicted in a related fraud scheme, accused Omar of helping to loosen regulations that facilitated the falsification of meal counts by Somali-owned businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bock claimed in a jailhouse interview that she struggled to believe Omar would not have been aware of the fraud. Omar has stated that the MEALS Act, which she introduced, was signed into law by President Trump with bipartisan support and that the regulatory framework was set by Trump's administration, emphasizing her commitment to ensuring children are fed.