As a leftist Muslim immigrant from Somalia, radical Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) is wonderfully blessed with a DEI press. She is perennially assumed to be a victim of racism, sexism and xenophobia whenever she is criticized, and especially when she's verbally targeted by President Donald Trump.
At the end of a typically syrupy interview with Esme Murphy from the local CBS station WCCO in Minneapolis on Sunday, Omar claimed her 19-year-old son, Adnan Hirsi was pulled over by Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel.
"Yesterday, after he made a stop at Target, he did get pulled over by ICE agents, and once he was able to produce his passport ID, they did let him go," Omar asserted. She said her son "always carries" his passport with him, because she tells him ICE agents "are racially profiling, they are looking for young men who look Somali that they think are undocumented."
The CBS anchor didn't question any of this. The station later reported that ICE's Acting Director Todd Lyons said the agency has "absolutely zero record of its officers or agents pulling over Congresswoman Omar's son" and accused her of trying to "unfairly demonize our law enforcement officers."
On Wednesday, CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer oozed all over Omar on "The Situation Room." Blitzer turned to her accusations against ICE. "I know that the Trump administration's immigration crackdown has become very personal for you, even though you're a member of Congress. You have said that federal immigration agents actually pulled over your son on Saturday and asked him to prove his citizenship. He is, of course, a U.S. citizen, as are you."
But at least Blitzer made one soft offering of a rebuttal: "The Department of Homeland Security says -- and I'm quoting them -- 'ICE has absolutely zero record of its officers or agents pulling over Congresswoman Omar's son' and have accused you of seeking to -- quote -- 'demonize ICE as part of a P.R. stunt,' their words. What do you say to that?"
Omar presented "zero record" of her son's supposed stop, just some word salad demonization of ICE. "Well, if ICE is saying that they have documentation of every single person that they have pulled over in Minneapolis, we would love to see that record ... they have not been able to provide a single information."
Blitzer just moved on. She didn't have to give CNN "a single information" to back up her claims. The burden of proof is entirely on ICE. They're guilty until they prove their innocence.
Instead, Blitzer turned back to Trump's taunts. "When President Trump attacked you again a few days later during a separate event in Pennsylvania, his statements were actually met with cheers from the crowd, and many of them were shouting, 'Send her back,' their words, 'Send her back.' What goes through your mind when you hear that kind -- and do you fear at all for your safety?"
These interviewers just put the ball on the tee. "Please denounce Trump's words as dangerous and creepy."
Omar proclaimed, "Somali Americans are here to stay," and Blitzer agreed: "As they should be. They're U.S. citizens. Almost all of them are now U.S. citizens, naturalized U.S. citizens."
Omar said that "nearly 60 percent (were) born in the United States." Blitzer added: "And they're very good U.S. citizens, to be sure."
Blitzer made no mention of more than $1 billion in welfare fraud in Minnesota, largely committed by Somali Americans, nor of Trump's claims that Omar married her brother for a few years. That would violate their corporate intent to stay "woke."
Tim Graham is director of media analysis at the Media Research Center and executive editor of the blog NewsBusters.org. To find out more about Tim Graham and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS.COM
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