Omar silent on anti-ICE post as NBC backs off viral ICE narrative

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., has not publicly commented on her criticism of Immigration and Customs Enforcement after NBC News was compelled to correct a viral post that tied ICE to a 5-year-old autistic girl outside a Massachusetts home. Omar’s remarks, posted on X last Tuesday, questioned ICE and called for abolition. NBC’s initial article and caption suggested ICE agents held the girl to pressure the father to surrender. The company later removed the post and published a corrected version noting that the video did not clearly show ICE using the child to influence the father. DHS subsequently said the original account was not accurate, and Omar’s congressional office did not respond to requests for comment as of Thursday morning.

A video obtained by Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra shows the girl beside a law enforcement SUV outside her Leominster home, with her mother telling officers the child is on the autism spectrum and demanding the return of her daughter. The father, Edwards Hip Mejia, told his wife he believed he was being followed and drove toward the home, where officials say he disengaged from the car and fled back to the house. In the footage, the family says officers briefly interacted with the child and then helped secure her safety. NBC has said the video is part of its reporting but that the article’s initial framing was corrected to reflect the limits of what the footage demonstrates. DHS officials have pushed back on the interpretation of the events in the original NBC post, emphasizing that the department does not support using a child as a target or “bait.”

The episode unfolded as Omar’s post remained on her official page with no public amendment. Fox News Digital reporters reached out to her congressional office and her campaign seeking comment on whether she planned to revise the post, but no response was provided at the time of publication. The DHS’s response underscored the agency’s separation from the viral framing that Omar criticized, reiterating its stance that the account as presented in the original NBC post was not accurate, and that the department does not condone harming or endangering children during enforcement actions.

The situation took on a broader political dimension in the days that followed. In Dallas, a gunman opened fire on a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, killing one detainee and critically injuring two others; the shooter died in what officials described as an act stemming from apparent hostility toward ICE. Dallas Police and federal investigators said the incident appears to be motivated by anti-ICE sentiment, though investigators cautioned the threat level remained under review as they assessed whether the attack was connected to other ongoing debates over immigration policy. The attack added a sharp, real-world pause to discussions about enforcement practices that had already been roiling Congress and campaign rhetoric.

The sequence underscores ongoing tensions over how immigration enforcement is portrayed in the media and how political figures respond to inflammatory narratives surrounding ICE. As lawmakers debate policy options—ranging from reform proposals to calls for altered enforcement priorities—news outlets have faced scrutiny over whether initial reporting accurately reflects operational realities on the ground. In this case, NBC’s later corrections, DHS’s pushback, and Omar’s silence together illustrate how quickly a narrative can evolve and how carefully officials and reporters must navigate questions about the use of children in enforcement contexts. The incident in Dallas further complicates the public conversation by linking media-driven narratives to violent acts, prompting renewed attention to security protocols at ICE facilities and to the rhetoric used by elected officials when weighing enforcement policies.

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As the political conversation continues, Omar’s office has not publicly revised the post or offered a detailed explanation of why she chose to respond to the NBC article in the way she did, and NBC has stood by its reporting while acknowledging the need to correct the record as more information became available. The evolving narrative around ICE, the role of media in shaping public perception, and the balance between safety and civil rights remain central themes in the current US political discourse surrounding immigration enforcement.