Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) poses for a portrait in her office on Capitol Hill on Wednesday December 10, 2025.
(Demetrius Freeman / The Washington Post via Getty Images)
In the predawn hours of October 12, Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents raided the home of US Representative Ilhan Omar, DFL-Minnesota. The raid was reportedly part of a criminal fraud investigation that was focused on decades-old immigration and citizenship paperwork that was filed by Omar’s father when she was a child. Omar, an outspoken progressive, is a refugee from Somalia who came to the United States at age 12. She has been the target of attacks by Trump, his Republican allies, and right-wing media for the better part of a decade. She denied any wrongdoing and decried the raid as “an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement.”
That sentiment was echoed by former president Barack Obama, along with many other prominent Democrats and defenders of civil liberties. For his part, Trump claimed he had nothing to do with the raid. Yet, on the same day that it occurred, the president ripped into Omar as “totally crooked personally” and “a terrible person.” He also endorsed Minnesota Republican US Senate nominee Michele Tafoya, who is mounting a high-stakes challenge to DFL candidate Peggy Flanagan in Tuesday’s midterm election. With Republican prospects fading in Senate battleground states such as North Carolina and Georgia, Tafoya’s bid was on Trump’s radar to such an extent that, just hours after the raid on Omar’s home, he was telling Minnesotans, “You have to vote for Michele Tafoya, who’s a very respected person.”
The Nation recently asked Omar to discuss the raid and the politics surrounding it. Here’s what she had to say.
—John Nichols
John Nichols: There was an immediate show of support from your constituents after the raid. You can’t be too worried about your own reelection prospects. But do you think that the president and his allies are trying to stir up anti-immigrant and anti-Somali sentiment in the broader context of the midterms?
Ilhan Omar: Absolutely. This is political, and it’s a deliberate attempt to distract the American people from the failures of this administration. Republicans don’t want to talk about the soaring cost of living, the Epstein files, the war in Iran, Trump’s shady diesel deal with Russia, or a healthcare system that is spiraling out of control. So instead, Trump sends DHS to raid my home. This is what authoritarianism looks like: weaponizing the federal government against anyone he sees as an opponent, scapegoating immigrant communities, and using racism and fear to divide us. He is reaching for the same tired playbook because he knows his party is in trouble. Trump thinks he can turn our neighbors against one another to win an election. I believe the American people are better than that.
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JN: Why do you think the president and so many Republicans are obsessed with you?
IO: Trump has an unhealthy and creepy obsession with me. I represent everything Trump and today’s Republican Party seem to despise. I’m a woman, an immigrant, a refugee, a Muslim woman who wears a hijab, and someone who refuses to be intimidated into silence. I know who I am and why I do this work.
The Republican Party has chosen to serve billionaires and powerful corporations over working people. They know that our vision of healthcare for everyone, an economy that works for working families, and a country where everyone can live with dignity is popular with the American people. So they resort to racism, Islamophobia, conspiracy theories, and lies. They want to make me the story because they don’t want to answer for their own failures. But I will not let their hatred define me, and I will not let it distract me from the people I came to Congress to serve.
JN: Many Minnesotans have complained about being targeted by the administration—with last winter’s Operation Metro Surge, and with all the focus on you. Why do you think this is happening?
IO: Trump has said that this is political retribution. I believe Minnesota is a target because we represent everything his politics of division cannot understand. We are a community that chooses solidarity over fear and care over cruelty. We welcome immigrants and refugees. We don’t just welcome them into our neighborhoods—we send them to Congress. When our neighbors are threatened, we show up, even in below-zero temperatures. We deliver meals, give children rides to school, check on one another, and organize mutual aid. We understand that when one family is hurting, our whole community has a responsibility to help. I have seen that love firsthand in the outpouring of support from my constituents. In moments when this administration tries to make people feel afraid and alone, Minnesotans have reminded me what this country can be at its best. Their courage and compassion mean more to me than I can put into words.
That is what Trump cannot stand. He wants us to believe that our differences make us weaker, that some people belong here more than others, and that fear is the only way to lead. Minnesota proves otherwise. Our strength comes from looking out for one another, recognizing our shared humanity, and refusing to abandon our neighbors. The antidote to authoritarianism is community. It is love. It is solidarity. It is the belief that every person deserves dignity and that none of us are free until all of us are free. Those are Minnesota’s values. Those are American values. And no raid, no threat, and no amount of hatred will take them away from us.
JN: You have often spoken about your patriotism and your pride at being an American. How does the raid—and the president’s very personal attacks on you—make you feel about your country and the people who are currently leading it? Do you think Trump is out of touch with American values and ideals?
IO: Trump’s behavior echoes some of the darkest chapters in our nation’s history. But I believe deeply in the promise of this country because generations of Americans have fought, sacrificed, and organized to make it a more just and equal place. That’s why I ran for office.
My family and I have endured death threats, relentless harassment, and years of personal attacks from this president. It has been painful, but it has never shaken my love for this country or my belief in its people. Trump may be out of touch with our values, but I know the best of America is found in people who stand up for one another, refuse to give up, and keep fighting for a country that lives up to its promise. I will never stop fighting for an America where everyone can see a doctor, afford a safe home, and put food on the table.
JN: What can Congress do to hold Trump and DHS to account?
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IO: Congress has a constitutional duty to stand up to this abuse of power. We must defend our rights under the Speech and Debate Clause (which is outlined in Article I, Section 6, Clause 1 of the United States Constitution) and make clear that no president gets to use the power of the executive branch to intimidate or target members of Congress for political reasons.
This is bigger than party. It is about defending our democracy and protecting the independence of Congress. When we allow one branch of government to intimidate another, we weaken the very foundations of our republic.
[House Speaker] Mike Johnson has failed to meet this moment. But I promise you this—when Democrats retake the majority in November, we will stand up, hold this administration accountable, and defend the institution and the constitutional rights that every member of Congress is sworn to uphold.
JN: President Obama offered a powerful statement in your defense. It is notable that he was also a target of Trump’s conspiracy theories and a questioning of his citizenship. Were you struck by that?
IO: President Obama knows the world of right-wing conspiracies better than anyone. In many ways, the conspiracy world I find myself in was created around him. That is why he can so clearly see the purpose and contradictions of the lies being told about me. He knows that no amount of evidence or facts will ever be enough for these trolls, because they are not after the truth. The conspiracy itself is what drives them. It meant so much to me to know that President Obama sees this for what it is and was willing to speak out.
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