Somali man arrested by ICE seen alongside Tim Walz and Ilhan Omar in photos

WASHINGTON, DC: Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested a Somali migrant who has a history of fraud and connections to Minnesota politicians, including Gov Tim Walz and Rep IIhan Omar.

Abdul Dahir Ibrahim has been under a deportation order since 2004 and all of his appeals has been rejected by the courts.

Before entering the US, Ibrahim ran into legal trouble in Canada, where he was accused of asylum fraud and welfare scams, according to Department of Justice records.

Abdul Dahir Ibrahim’s political ties 

Ibrahim has been seen in the photos shared by the DHS with top Minnesota politicians like Walz, Omar, Minneapolis City Council Member Jamal Osman and state Senator Omar Fateh. 

He’s been seen with Walz at least twice. Both Osman and Fateh even wrote letters recommending him during his immigration case. 

“Criminal illegal alien, Abdul Dahir Ibrahim has been linked to Minnesota’s top sanctuary politicians,” read the DHS post. 

“Ibrahim was convicted in Canada for Asylum and Welfare Fraud prior to his entry into the United States,” the post continued.

“On April 3, 2004, an immigration judge ordered Ibrahim removed, citing the significant amount of fraud associated with him. “Bye-bye, Abdul.” 

However, the letters of recommendation or political photos don’t necessarily imply wrongdoing.

Abdul Dahir Ibrahim’s fraudulent family claims

In 2002, Ibrahim was convicted in Dakota County District Court for providing false information to police and driving without a valid license. He received a fine and one year of probation, according to Fox News.

The publication says Ibrahim is unmarried, but he once claimed his sister was his wife and her children were theirs. According to the document, that claim was later found to be not at all true.

The DHS also included a photograph of Ibrahim in handcuffs and being loaded into an unmarked vehicle by federal agents. 

ICE says Ibrahim came into the country in 1995 through New York after he was kicked out of Canada. On April 3, 2004, an immigration judge ordered him to be removed, noting he had a long history of fraud.

His appeals were denied, and a circuit court upheld the immigration court’s ruling in 2006. Despite those denials, Ibrahim was granted temporary protective status (TPS) for roughly 10 years. He still has a pending TPS application that has not been adjudicated since 2023.

Trump cites fraud for ending Somali migrants’ temporary protected status

Trump recently shared a batch of new rules aimed at rooting out, he says, major fraud in Minnesota. He’s been calling the state a hotspot for money laundering and says that’s why he’s pulling deportation protections for hundreds of Somali migrants.

This week, top Trump officials rolled out new investigations, including a fresh Treasury Department deep dive announced by Secretary Scott Bessent. The investigation is looking into claims that taxpayer money may have gone to a group called al-Shabaab.

Last month, Trump said these fraud worries are why he is ending temporary protected status for thousands of Somali migrants in Minnesota.