Video News Clips: In Their Own Words

Ilhan Omar Declares Somali Criminals In US ‘Are Not Going Anywhere’

[Screenshot/YouTube: The Joy Reid Show]

Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar claimed on Thursday that illegal Somali immigrants are protected under the 14th Amendment and will never leave the U.S.

Omar claimed on “The Joy Reid Show” that these Somalis, many of whom are in the country illegally, are just as American as anyone else and that they are “not going anywhere.” President Donald Trump’s administration is cracking down on illegal Somalis in response to reports that Somali nationals in Minnesota funneled “untold millions” of dollars from the state’s welfare system and sent it to Al-Shabaab, a terrorist organization responsible for the deaths of at least 11 Americans.

“I know that those of us that are Somali in this country see ourselves as Americans. That’s what our passport says, that’s what our nationality is. And we know that we are protected by the 14th Amendment. We know that we are not going anywhere,” Omar said. “And there is no way, I mean he needs to just, I know he says he’s never met me. Maybe he needs to spend 5 minutes with me, because then he would know that as Somalis, we are never intimidated. We are never going to feel like our esteem or confidence is shaken by a bigoted fool making a mockery of the White House, of our nation and of the presidency.”

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has launched aggressive operations in Minneapolis and St. Paul to deport Somali nationals and is prioritizing those with final removal orders. The enforcement came after Trump told reporters that he does not want Somalis and other third-worlders in the country.

Federal prosecutors are pursuing cases involving more than $1 billion in stolen taxpayer funds to state and federal social services programs, including those that are intended to feed poor children and provide care to autistic kids. Prosecutors secured 59 convictions thus far in fraud tied to pandemic feeding programs, housing assistance and autism therapy services.

All but eight of the 86 people charged in the fraudulent scheme are of Somali ancestry, according to The New York Times.

Qalinle Ibrahim Dirie, a Somali national living in the U.S., was sentenced to 12 years in prison in July for abducting and raping a 12-year-old girl in Minneapolis in 2024. The victim said she was playing in her family’s backyard when a man approached her, put his hand over her mouth, forced her into a car, struck her over the head and sexually assaulted her.

Another Somali national named Abdimahat Bille Mohamed avoided jail time despite being an alleged serial rapist, according to the New York Post. He has just been charged with kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman over several days in a hotel room.

Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who is receiving backlash for the Somali welfare scandal, accused the Trump administration of engaging in a “PR stunt” and of “indiscriminately targeting immigrants.” Minnesota state officials accused Walz of bearing full responsibility for the “cascade of systemic failures” by “willfully” disregarding “rules and laws to keep fraud reports quiet.”

Trump called Walz “seriously retarded” in a Nov. 27 Truth Social post, stating that the governor did nothing to stop Somalis from stealing and misusing taxpayer dollars.