US Homeland Security denies claim that immigration agents pulled over Rep. Omar’s son

By Asiye Latife Yilmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) - The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Tuesday that its officials did not pull over the son of Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, accusing the congresswoman of staging a “PR stunt.”

“ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) has absolutely ZERO record of its officers or agents pulling over Congresswoman Omar’s son. With no evidence, it is shameful that Congresswoman Omar would level accusations to demonize ICE as part of a PR stunt,” DHS said in a statement through US social media company X.

DHS rejected claims of racial profiling in immigration enforcement, saying such allegations are “disgusting, reckless and categorically false,” and stressed that arrests are based on immigration status, not race, skin color, or ethnicity.

“Under the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, DHS law enforcement uses 'reasonable suspicion' to make arrests,” it added.

On Sunday, Omar said her son, a US-born citizen, was pulled over by ICE agents, accusing them of “racial profiling” and targeting “young men who look Somali that they think are undocumented.”

US President Donald Trump has launched attacks on Somalis and Omar in recent days, tying them to his push for a permanent halt on immigration from several countries, including Somalia.

On Friday, the Minnesota representative sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons, accusing them of "blatant racial profiling" and "an egregious level of unnecessary force."

Lyons also denied the incident on Tuesday, saying that Omar’s claims were made without evidence, and accused her of fueling hostility toward ICE, citing sharp increases in assaults and death threats against its personnel.