Trump’s accusation hit like a political grenade. In a blistering online barrage, he claimed Gov. Tim Walz and Rep. Ilhan Omar are using anti-ICE protests to cover up “$19 billion” in Minnesota fraud and protect violent criminals. He even suggested Omar should be jailed or deported. As ICE raids, a deadly shooting, street protests, and fraud scandals collide, Minnesotans are left asking who’s ly…CONTINUE READING BELOW
Trump’s posts fused immigration, crime, and scandal into one explosive narrative, accusing Walz and Omar of shielding “murderers and drug
dealers” and distracting from massive fraud in state-managed programs. His claims referenced real, ongoing fraud prosecutions in Minnesota but vastly inflated the dollar figures and added
incendiary personal attacks, including the debunked allegation that Omar “married her brother” and the call to send her “back to Somalia.”
Walz and Omar, in turn, have framed the moment as a test of democratic norms and civil rights. They argue ICE’s operations — especially after the fatal shooting of Renee
Nicole Good — demand transparency and independent review, not blind deference. Protests, they insist, are a legitimate response to fear in immigrant communities
and questions about federal overreach. As federal officials hint at possible legal consequences for “anti-ICE rhetoric,”
the clash has become less about a single operation and more about who gets to define law, order, and justice in a deeply polarized America.