Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota blasted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations on Saturday, likening them to practices she says occur in her native Somalia, during a Democratic-led event titled “Kidnapped and Disappeared: Trump’s Deadly Assault on Minnesota.”
Speaking before a group of Democratic party leaders, Omar referred to the country as the “U.S. goddamn States,” as she condemned the Trump administration’s policies.
“I don’t want to curse, but those of us who escaped places like that, the one place where we thought we would never experience this is the US [sic] goddamn states,” she said at a Democratic field hearing in St. Paul. “And we should all be ashamed that it is the United States that is allowing for this to take place, and it is being… broadcast to the rest of the world, where people are calling and saying, ‘Are you sure this is America?’ I am ashamed, and we must do everything that we can to bring back the America we all escaped into.”
The official White House rapid response account on X, was quick to blast her comments, reposting the video and writing, "There is no circumstance in which she should refer to our country in this way. It is beyond disrespectful — it is appalling, disgusting, and SICK. SHAME ON HER!"
.@IlhanMN refers to our great country as the "U.S. G*ddamn States."
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 18, 2026
There is no circumstance in which she should refer to our country in this way. It is beyond disrespectful — it is appalling, disgusting, and SICK. SHAME ON HER! pic.twitter.com/NYrTG8NFxm
A conservative activist account, Libs of TikTok, also blasted the Democratic representative's comments, writing, "Absolutely disgusting. Denaturalize and deport."
Ilhan Omar refers to the U.S. as “the US goddamn States”
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 18, 2026
Absolutely disgusting.
Denaturalize and deportpic.twitter.com/bf7yYFi0TM
The remarks come amid a sharp rise in protests and escalating violence, targeting federal immigration agents as the Trump administration has intensified its crackdown on illegal immigration.
While backlash erupted almost immediately following President Trump’s inauguration, tensions have continued to mount, particularly after the death of Renee Good in Minnesota, who was shot and killed by an ICE agent after authorities say she struck him with her vehicle.
Democrats have repeatedly cast ICE in an increasingly negative light, leveling severe accusations against the agency while placing the blame squarely on President Trump for the growing chaos and civil unrest. Meanwhile, ICE agents have faced a more than 1,100 percent increase in assaults over the past year, according to the Department of Homeland Security.