News outlets falsely report Somaliland called for extradition of Ilhan Omar
News outlets falsely report Somaliland called for extradition of Ilhan Omar
Multiple media organizations have wrongly claimed that Somaliland’s government sought the extradition of U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, citing a post from an X account that lacks official state endorsement. The stories, which gained traction, were based on content from @RepOfSomaliland, an account that the Somaliland foreign ministry explicitly labeled as unverified in December.
Clarification from Somaliland’s foreign ministry
The ministry emphasized that it had begun identifying social media accounts not affiliated with the official government channels. In a statement to the Guardian, it urged that all news and statements be attributed to authorized sources to avoid misinformation.
Among the outlets that shared the false narrative were Fox News, the New York Post, Sinclair Broadcast Group’s National News Desk, and the Independent. Their coverage focused on a reaction to claims by Vice President JD Vance, who accused Omar of immigration fraud. The post, which read:
“Deportation? Please you’re just sending the princess back to her kingdom. Extradition? Say the word…”
, was used to amplify the allegations.
Context of Vance’s interview
Vance’s remarks followed an interview with conservative influencer Benny Johnson on March 28. During the discussion, he asserted that Omar had “definitely committed immigration fraud against the United States of America.” He mentioned consultations with Stephen Miller, the White House’s immigration adviser, about potential legal actions.
Johnson pressed Vance on whether Omar’s alleged actions justified deportation or denaturalization. Omar’s chief of staff, Connor McNutt, refuted the claims, calling them “a ridiculous lie and desperate attempt to distract.” He added a sharp critique of Vance’s history of “creating stories” to divert media focus.
Historical backdrop of misinformation
This incident marks the latest in a series of viral misrepresentations involving Omar and Somali-related issues. In early 2024, a mistranslated speech snippet from Minneapolis circulated online, with rightwing figures claiming she had declared herself “Somalian first.”
The reports emerged amid heightened White House rhetoric targeting Minnesota’s Somali community and Somalia itself. Just days before Vance’s interview, former President Donald Trump labeled Somalia a “crooked, disgusting country” and boasted of reclaiming Minnesota “from Somalia.” The Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair)’s Minnesota chapter criticized the remarks, with executive director Jaylani Hussein stating:
“Portraying an entire people as intellectually inferior is not just political rhetoric – it is dehumanization.”
Omar, who arrived in the U.S. as a 12-year-old refugee and became a citizen at 17, warned in a December Guardian interview that Trump’s statements were contributing to political violence. “We’ve had people incarcerated for threatening to kill me,” she said, adding that her concerns extended to anyone “who looks like me in Minneapolis.”
Just days after Trump’s recent attacks, a man sprayed Omar with liquid from a syringe during a town hall event in Minneapolis. Federal prosecutors later charged Anthony Kazmierczak, 55, with assault.
