Former President Donald Trump accused Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar on Sunday of using protests against federal immigration enforcement to divert attention from fraud cases in Minnesota, making the claims in a series of social media posts.
Trump said protests opposing Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the Twin Cities were being encouraged by Democratic leaders to distract from what he described as extensive fraud involving state-administered programs.
“ICE is removing some of the most violent criminals in the World from our Country, and bring them back home, where they belong. Why is Minnesota fighting this? Do they really want murderers and drug dealers to be ensconced in their community? The thugs that are protesting include many highly paid professional agitators and anarchists. Is this really what Minnesota wants?” Trump wrote.
He added: “The crooked Governor and ‘Congresswoman’ Omar, who married her brother, don’t mind because it keeps the focus of attention off the 18 Billion Dollar, Plus, FRAUD, that has taken place in the State! Don’t worry, we’re on it!”
In a separate post, the president wrote: “There is 19 Billion Dollars in Minnesota Somalia Fraud. Fake ‘Congresswoman’ Illhan Omar, a constant complainer who hates the USA, knows everything there is to know. She should be in jail, or even a worse punishment, sent back to Somalia, considered one of the absolutely worst countries in the World. She could help to MAKE SOMALIA GREAT AGAIN!”
In his posts, Trump defended recent ICE enforcement actions in Minnesota, saying federal agents were targeting violent offenders. He criticized state and federal officials who have condemned the operations, characterizing protesters as organized agitators and accusing local leaders of undermining law enforcement.
Minnesota has faced multiple high-profile fraud cases in recent years involving misuse of public funds, including federal nutrition and welfare programs. Several defendants have been convicted or charged in those cases, while investigations and prosecutions remain ongoing. State officials have said reforms and oversight measures have been implemented in response.
Walz has sharply criticized the federal immigration operation, particularly after the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good earlier this month during an ICE-related enforcement action in Minneapolis. Walz has called for transparency and accountability and questioned the scope and execution of the operation.
Omar has also opposed the ICE actions, saying they have caused fear in immigrant communities and raised concerns about civil rights. She has defended the protests as expressions of public concern and called for an independent review of the enforcement activity.
Trump’s comments come as demonstrations against ICE continue in parts of Minnesota and as political debate intensifies over immigration enforcement, public safety, and government oversight.
U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News the duo’s anti-ICE rhetoric was teetering on a federal crime.
“When the governor or the mayor threaten our officers, when the mayor suggests that he’s encouraging citizens to call 911 when they see ICE officers, that is very close to a federal crime,” Blanche said.
Bondi added on X, “A reminder to all those in Minnesota: No one is above the law.”
Walz responded to the news on Friday by accusing the Trump administration of “weaponizing the justice system.”
“Two days ago, it was Elissa Slotkin. Last week it was Jerome Powell. Before that, Mark Kelly,” Walz wrote in an X post. “Weaponizing the justice system against your opponents is an authoritarian tactic. The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her.”
For the record, Walz never made similar complaints when Joe Biden’s Justice Department was attempting to prosecute Trump, along with other Democratic district attorneys and prosecutors.
