On Sunday night, January 18, 2026, and Saturday morning, January 31, President Donald Trump escalated his ongoing attacks against Rep. Ilhan Omar by suggesting that she should be jailed or deported, in a post on Truth Social. This follows Omar’s criticism of his administration’s immigration law enforcement.
Trump, 79, stated in his post that Omar “should be in jail, or even a worse punishment, sent back to Somalia,” connecting the congresswoman to alleged fraudulent activities in Minnesota without providing any proof. He also reiterated a long-standing yet unfounded claim that Omar married her brother, an allegation that Omar has categorically denied as “absolutely false and ridiculous.”
The president’s accusation came after Omar, a 43-year-old congresswoman, pointed out that Minnesota has rejected Trump in three separate elections. Omar has been a vocal critic of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), especially after the fatal shooting of Renee Good of Minneapolis, Minnesota, by Jonathan Ross, an ICE agent, which Omar labeled as murder.
Omar is a U.S. citizen, having gained citizenship in 2000 at the age of 17. She left Somalia as a child of eight during the civil war and spent four years in a refugee camp in Kenya before moving to the United States. The suggestion by the president that she should be deported raises constitutional issues since it is illegal to strip American citizens of their citizenship and expel them from the country.
Trump referred to an alleged $19 billion fraud in Minnesota in his Sunday night post, stating that the congresswoman “knows everything there is to know.” He also claimed that Gov. Tim Walz “should be in cuffs,” even though neither Omar nor Walz has been accused in relation to the fraud schemes.
The fraud cases, which involve fake claims for children’s meals and other government-funded services, are part of a broader Minnesota scandal that Trump has linked to a separate federal investigation into large cash shipments. The centerpiece of the fraud is the Feeding Our Future case, in which a nonprofit submitted fictitious records claiming to have served millions of meals to needy children during the pandemic — federal prosecutors say only about 3% of the money was actually spent on food. The scandal expanded into housing assistance, autism therapy, and daycare subsidies, with federal investigators estimating total losses across 14 state welfare programs could reach $9 billion.
More than 90 people have been charged, the majority of Somali descent, though the scheme’s leader, Aimee Bock, is white.
Trump is now trying to connect the fraud to a suspected money-laundering operation in which Homeland Security officials say couriers moved nearly $700 million in cash through airports in Columbus, Atlanta, and Minneapolis over two years, ultimately routing it to Dubai via Amsterdam. Investigators have not proven that the cash is linked to the stolen welfare funds, but the Trump administration is treating the two as part of the same criminal enterprise.
Trump has used the scandal to single out Rep. Omar, the only Somali American in Congress and one of his long-standing political targets, repeatedly calling her a “scammer” and claiming the DOJ and Congress are investigating her finances — allegations Omar has denied, and for which no charges have been filed. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has said the administration is looking into whether Omar is connected to the fraud, but Omar’s office has pointed out that years of investigations have produced no evidence linking her to any wrongdoing.
Omar is part of the progressive Democratic “Squad,” which also includes Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, and Ayanna Pressley. In 2019, Trump made a controversial remark telling the Squad members to “go back” to where they came from, a comment widely criticized as racist. This attack targeted four congresswomen of color, all of whom are American citizens.
Scrutiny of Omar’s personal finances has increased Trump’s focus on her in recent weeks. Her latest financial disclosure forms suggest that she and her husband, Tim Mynett, have a net worth between $6 million and $30 million. Omar has been accused of not properly disclosing assets, including her husband’s stake in a venture capital firm valued between $5 million and $25 million.
Omar, who receives a congressional salary of $174,000, has had questions raised about her wealth by both political adversaries and media outlets. However, she has contested the portrayals of her financial status.
On Christmas Day, Trump shared a segment featuring former Fox News host Megyn Kelly discussing Omar’s citizenship. The legal basis for questioning the citizenship of a naturalized American who has held that status for over two decades remains unclear.
On January 14, 2026, Trump posted another message insisting that Omar and others “should be thrown out of the USA,” repeating the brother marriage claim.
Omar’s critique of ICE has centered on the agency’s law enforcement actions in Minneapolis and other Minnesota communities. The fatal shooting of Renee Good, a mother of three, on January 7, and the shooting by Border Patrol agents of an ICU nurse, Alex Pretti, on January 24, have ignited debates over immigration enforcement methods, with Omar calling for a comprehensive investigation into the incident.
Ever since Omar entered Congress, the relationship between her and Trump has been contentious. The president has repeatedly targeted her at rallies and on social media, frequently associating her with Somalia despite her years of American citizenship.
As a Squad member, Omar is part of a group that has received significant attention from conservative critics who consider their progressive policies to be divergent from mainstream American politics. These four congresswomen have championed policies such as Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and criminal justice reform.
Trump’s posts on Truth Social on Sunday night and the ensuing days reflect his continued emphasis on immigration law enforcement and allegations of fraud in Minnesota, a state that has consistently voted against him. His rhetoric has intensified as protests and criticism from local officials and community members have arisen in response to ICE operations in the state.
