Democrat Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who was born in Somalia and immigrated to the United States as a teenager, hosted a seminar for Somalis residing in the U.S. illegally.
The event advised illegal Somali migrants on how to withhold information from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
She told attendees, “If ICE attempts to question you, you’re not obliged to answer their questions. Disclosure of your name, immigration status, and method of entry is not required.”
The U.S. is home to over 116,520 Somali nationals, with a majority—more than 80,000—living in Minnesota, the state Omar represents in Congress.
Canada also hosts over 60,000 Somali migrants, including 8,000 recent arrivals, making up nearly half of the Somali population in the U.S. despite Canada’s population being only one-tenth the size.
Canada’s population growth has surged due to mass immigration, with the rate reaching 3.2% in 2023—higher than that of many developing nations, including Somalia.
On February 4, Omar also criticized Donald Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency platform, calling his proposal to defund USAID “the start of a dictatorship.”
Her use of the word “dictatorship” is a frequent attack on conservative leaders—not just in the United States. In February of last year, she also labeled El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele a dictator after his tough-on-crime policies boosted his popularity to record levels.
