Minnesota’s Somali Community Reacts to Raid on Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Residence

Members of Minnesota’s Somali community expressed strong opposition to President Donald Trump and his administration following Monday’s raid on Representative Ilhan Omar’s Washington, D.C., home. Jamal Osman, vice president of the Minneapolis City Council, spoke with Fox News Digital about the impact of the raid carried out by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents.

“Somalis—all feel attacked by President Trump,” Osman said. He criticized Trump for breaking laws repeatedly and accused ICE of terrorizing the community.

“Our president has broken the law many times. ICE [is] terrorizing our community…and we’re not surprised such action has taken place,” Osman remarked.

Following reports that the Trump administration would target Somali immigrants in Twin Cities, Osman addressed the media at a press conference held at City Hall in Minneapolis.

Osman highlighted the threats and unacceptable language used against the Somali community by Trump. He hoped for these actions to end.

Abdi, a 37-year-old social worker from Minneapolis, shared similar feelings of frustration. He described the raid as a way to dehumanize and humiliate Omar.

“I feel like raiding a congresswoman…it feels like Donald Trump and his regime wanted to use their power to dehumanize and also humiliate someone that is part of the Congress,” Abdi commented.

Abdi further claimed that Trump hated Somali people due to Omar’s presence and suggested that Somalis in America felt harassed on the streets because of Trump.

“It’s personal,” he said. “And Ilhan Omar — he doesn’t treat her as a congressmember — he treats her as someone who’s below him.”

He feared the potential loss of citizenship for Omar, questioning if America was turning into a dictatorship.

“If they take the citizenship away from her, then I will say, ‘Are we in a dictatorship?’ That’s using power to use against an American citizen,” Abdi noted.

Osman viewed the raid as evidence of the Trump administration’s willingness to break constitutional laws.

“We live in the United States, which is the land of the laws. I don’t expect Trump or anyone in this matter to break the U.S. Constitution,” Osman continued. He emphasized that Trump could threaten but would face legal processes.

Osman’s message to Trump was clear: “Stop it.” He emphasized that Somali-Americans are citizens like everyone else.

A 22-year-old Somali American woman, who declined to be named, expressed her lack of surprise about the raid. She mentioned the government’s ongoing negative discussions around Omar’s immigration status.

The White House responded to these comments by pointing to Trump’s public reaction to the raid. Trump dismissed any notion of personal involvement and criticized Omar’s complaints about the Constitution.

HSI executed a search warrant at Omar’s Washington residence early Monday. This stemmed from an investigation into whether Omar or her late father fraudulently filled out citizenship paperwork. The Wall Street Journal reported that her phone, passport, and computers were seized during the raid.

Omar reacted to the investigation on social media, calling it an “outrageous abuse of power” and accusing Trump of weaponizing federal law enforcement against his political enemies.

This incident further highlights the tensions between the Trump administration and Somali-Americans.