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Photos Link Somali National With 2004 Deportation Order To Prominent Minnesota Democrats After ICE Arrest

08:14 AM, 12/06/2025
Photos Link Somali National With 2004 Deportation Order To Prominent Minnesota Democrats After ICE Arrest

Key points: ICE arrested Abdul Dahir Ibrahim, a Somali national who has had a deportation order since 2004 and a documented history of fraud. Court records show convictions in Canada and a 2002 Dakota County conviction in the U.S.; a 2004 removal order was later upheld. Ibrahim was photographed with Minnesota officials including Gov. Tim Walz and Rep. Ilhan Omar, and two local officials submitted letters on his behalf. The arrest coincides with broader federal probes into alleged fraud involving Minnesota’s Somali community.

ICE Arrests Somali National With Longstanding Deportation Order; Photos Tie Him To Minnesota Officials

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently arrested Abdul Dahir Ibrahim, a Somali national who has been subject to a deportation order since 2004 and whose appeals were reportedly exhausted. A Department of Justice document reviewed by news outlets details a pattern of fraud and other legal issues that predate his arrival in the United States.

The file indicates Ibrahim was convicted in Canada on charges related to asylum and welfare fraud before entering the U.S. in 1995 after a prior deportation from Canada. U.S. records show a Dakota County conviction on Jan. 23, 2002, for providing false information to police and driving without a valid license; he was fined and placed on one year of probation. Ibrahim has also received multiple traffic and parking citations in the United States.

On April 3, 2004, an immigration judge ordered Ibrahim removed, citing the volume of alleged fraud in his record. Appeals were denied, and a circuit court reportedly upheld that decision in 2006. Despite the removal order, Ibrahim was later granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for roughly a decade; according to public records, a TPS application remained pending as of 2023.

Documents in the case show Ibrahim at one point made a familial claim—that his sister was his wife and that her children were his—that immigration authorities later determined to be false. Photographs submitted with the files show Ibrahim in the company of several Minnesota political figures, including Gov. Tim Walz; U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.); Minneapolis City Council Member Jamal Osman; and State Sen. Omar Fateh. Records indicate Osman and Fateh submitted letters of recommendation on Ibrahim's behalf during immigration proceedings.

The arrest comes as the Trump administration has intensified scrutiny of alleged fraud connected to Somali communities in Minnesota. Senior administration officials have announced additional investigations in the state, and they say federal agencies are probing alleged schemes, including a Treasury review into claims that public funds may have been diverted to extremist groups.

Gov. Walz has publicly criticized what he called inflammatory rhetoric directed at Minnesota’s Somali community, describing Somali Minnesotans as contributors to the state’s vitality and economy. Requests for comment to Gov. Walz, Rep. Omar, Sen. Fateh and Council Member Osman were not immediately returned.

Note: This account summarizes publicly reported information. Some details—such as the status of pending applications or internal investigatory findings—may change as agencies provide updates.

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