Ilhan Omar Questions Whether ICE Surveilled Her Town Hall

U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, a Democrat, has accused the Trump administration of using Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to surveil political opponents. This comes after an agent was reportedly stationed outside her monthly town hall meeting in Richfield, Minnesota. The story was reported by infohub.kz.

During the event, Omar said an agent from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the investigative arm of ICE, was parked outside the building where her meeting was taking place. This prompted Omar to demand that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) clarify whether HSI agents have been used to monitor any other activities involving local, state, or federal officials in the state.

According to Omar, the agent claimed to be conducting an undercover drug operation, but had not coordinated with local law enforcement. A Richfield police officer noticed the agent in a Ford Explorer and became suspicious of her monitoring the building. When the officer ran the plates, they were registered to a different vehicle.

Omar stated that the woman initially identified herself as security, but after calling her supervisor, she said she was an HSI agent conducting an undercover drug operation. The Richfield police had not been informed of the operation beforehand. Despite a sign indicating a town hall was in progress, the agent remained until speaking with her supervisor, then left.

Omar described the actions as "putting an entire community at risk." She noted that instead of monitoring for potential threats, Richfield police had to investigate why an HSI agent was outside a congressional event with mismatched plates. She added that this raises concerns that the Trump administration uses ICE to surveil political opponents.

In her letter, Omar demands answers about why the agent was there, how she knew about the meeting, and what actions were taken. The Guardian has contacted DHS for comment.

HSI is the main investigative branch of ICE. ICE operations in Minnesota have sparked protests this year and have resulted in the deaths of two Americans, Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good.

In January, a man sprayed Omar with an unidentified substance during a town hall where she called for abolishing ICE. Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey called the act "unacceptable," saying "We can disagree without putting people at risk."