Is Ilhan Omar arrested, and getting deported
Executive summary
Claims that Rep. Ilhan Omar is currently "arrested and getting deported" are not supported by the available reporting provided here. The record shows a single public arrest for civil disobedience in July 2022 and periodic calls from opponents and petitions urging deportation or denaturalization — but no authoritative source here documents any current criminal arrest that would lead to deportation or any formal government action to revoke her citizenship [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6].
1. Arrests on record: one civil‑disobedience arrest, traffic records, and a 2013 incident
Reporting and fact‑checks show Ilhan Omar was arrested during a July 19, 2022 civil‑disobedience protest at the U.S. Supreme Court over Roe v. Wade decisions; her office and campaign confirmed that arrest [1] [2] [3]. Independent fact‑checks (Reuters, PolitiFact, Snopes) have also examined claims about multiple arrests and concluded she has not been arrested dozens of times; Reuters and PolitiFact found traffic cases and minor records that were mischaracterized as "23 arrests" in viral memes [4] [5]. Snopes notes a 2013 Minneapolis trespass incident that was reported at the time [7].
2. Deportation claims: political calls vs. legal action
Several political actors and groups have urged deportation or denaturalization of Omar as a political tactic. Examples include a fundraising petition from a House Republican campaign urging her deportation (Brandon Gill) and public calls by some GOP lawmakers to "send her back" to Somalia [6]. Coverage shows organized petitions and advocacy campaigns demanding investigation or denaturalization [8] [9]. However, the materials provided do not cite any federal deportation proceeding, Department of Justice denaturalization action, or court order removing Omar's U.S. citizenship (available sources do not mention a formal legal deportation proceeding).
3. What fact‑checkers and mainstream outlets say about the underlying allegations
Major fact‑check outlets have debunked viral claims that Omar had been arrested 23 times or that her parents were terrorists. Reuters directly refuted the "23 arrests" claim and explained that there were traffic records sometimes mischaracterized as arrests [4]. PolitiFact likewise found the social‑media claim false and noted traffic violations, not dozens of arrests [5]. Those fact‑checks undermine the viral foundation of many calls for deportation, which often rest on exaggerated or false narratives [4] [5].
4. Political context: repeated rhetorical attacks and fundraising tactics
Multiple news items show that calls for deportation are frequently political rhetoric aimed at mobilizing supporters. Axios reported on a February 2025 Republican fundraising email that explicitly urged supporters to "arrest and deport Ilhan Omar," illustrating how the phrase has been used as a campaign tactic [6]. Other outlets documented Republicans publicly urging deportation or revocation of citizenship after political controversies in 2025, showing this is an ongoing partisan theme rather than evidence of legal action [10] [11].
5. What would be required for deportation or denaturalization under U.S. law — and the reporting gap
Denaturalization and deportation of a U.S. citizen require formal legal proceedings: evidence of fraud in the naturalization process, a DOJ denaturalization case, or criminal convictions that trigger immigration consequences for non‑citizens. None of the provided sources documents such a DOJ case, immigration court filing, or deportation order against Omar; instead, the sources describe calls for investigation and political petitions [8] [6]. Therefore, available reporting does not show the legal steps necessary to effect deportation have been taken (available sources do not mention a DOJ denaturalization filing or ICE removal order for Omar).
6. Alternate perspectives and hidden agendas
Proponents of deportation claims frame them as enforcing immigration law or exposing alleged fraud (NLPC and similar groups), but those campaigns also function as partisan pressure and fundraising tools; the NLPC fundraising language explicitly links calls for denaturalization to political aims [8]. Opponents point out racialized and xenophobic overtones — Axios and other coverage highlight the use of "send her back" rhetoric as a political weapon [6] [12]. Readers should note the dual purposes: legal claims and political mobilization are intertwined in these campaigns.
7. Bottom line for your query
Based on the documents provided, Ilhan Omar has been arrested at least for a 2022 civil‑disobedience action and has a prior publicly reported 2013 incident and traffic records that were sometimes misreported as many arrests [1] [2] [7] [4] [5]. There is active political campaigning and petitions calling for her deportation or denaturalization, but no source in this collection shows any formal legal proceeding (DOJ denaturalization case, ICE removal order, or court deportation ruling) that would effect her deportation (available sources do not mention an actual deportation proceeding) [6] [8].