Ilhan Omar is coming to regret her aggressive attacks on President Trump.
Omar’s big move just backfired.
And Ilhan Omar declared war on Trump, and then one stunning thing happened.
As West Wing Daily reports:
President Trump and many in the MAGA Movement have asserted that Omar’s ongoing loyalty to Somalia and self-identification as Somalian should disqualify her from elected office – especially federal office.
Omar has been the Representative of the 5th Congressional District in Minnesota — which includes the entire city of Minneapolis–– since 2019.
She has been elected repeatedly, primarily by the very large Somali migrant population that has settled in Minneapolis.
But it is this very demographic that is now at the center of a major national controversy.
President Trump has launched a new series of federal initiatives aimed at uncovering what he claims are extensive fraud operations in Minnesota, asserting that the state has become a “hub for money-laundering.”
President Trump has stated that this Somali migrant population is at the heart of a complex scam that has stolen as much as $8 billion from the American taxpayer.
These allegations have also been used by his administration to support ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for thousands of Somali nationals living in the U.S.
Administration officials announced this week that several new investigations are underway, including a Treasury Department probe examining whether any federal funds were funneled to the terrorist group al-Shabaab, who are known to target and murder Christians in Africa.
Minneapolis officials, meanwhile, are preparing for heightened activity from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after the agency revealed plans for an expanded enforcement mission across Minnesota.
Trump has repeatedly referenced recent fraud scandals as justification for withdrawing protections from Somali migrants, writing on Truth Social that TPS recipients should “go back to where they came from.”
The renewed focus on Minnesota stems largely from the huge “Feeding Our Future” case — a $250 million scheme that exploited a federal child-nutrition program during the COVID-19 emergency.
Investigators say participants created fake invoices, invented attendance logs, and claimed to distribute millions of meals that never existed, redirecting federal funds for personal use.
Republican critics, including Trump, argue the fraud spread because of poor oversight by Gov. Tim Walz’s administration.
Walz dismissed those claims, saying the former president is “trying to shift the conversation” by blaming entire communities.
Federal prosecutors have continued filing charges, describing the case as one of the largest pandemic fraud operations uncovered nationwide.
By late 2025, more than 75 people had been indicted.
Several of those charged are members of Minnesota’s Somali community.
Court filings indicate that roughly 300 supposed meal distribution sites across Minnesota provided little or no food at all, and many of the businesses involved existed only to launder federal nutrition funds.
Asked whether Democratic state officials failed in their oversight, Omar said that was one reason she previously pressed the U.S. Department of Agriculture for answers.
She said Minnesota must determine how so much money was diverted without triggering stronger alarms.
Omar herself has been closely linked to one of the establishments – the Safari Restaurant – involved in the “Feeding Our Future” scam.
Abdirahman Mohamud Ahmed and Salim Ahmed Said, owners/operators of Safari Restaurant in Minneapolis, were involved in the scheme. Salim Ahmed Said was convicted of stealing over $12 million in federal funds that were intended to provide meals for children in need.
Omar held her 2018 Congressional victory party at Safari Restaurant and even appeared in a promotional video for the “Feeding Our Future” non-profit.
Political friction surrounding the case has only intensified as Trump recently claimed that Rep. Ilhan Omar, who arrived in the U.S. as a Somali refugee, should not be allowed to serve in Congress — remarks that Omar blasted as “vile” and “creepy.”
Ilhan Omar has condemned the fraud and tried to shift much of the blame away from her Somali constituents.
But the Trump Administration is moving forward with plans to clean up Minneapolis, including the mass deportations of Somalians.
