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 mistakenly claimed that Somaliland’s government sought the extradition of Ilhan Omar, relying on a post from an X account that does not officially represent the state. Fox News, the New York Post, Sinclair Broadcast Group’s National News Desk, and the Independent all published stories about the U.S. representative, citing a reaction by @RepOfSomaliland to allegations made by JD Vance regarding Omar’s immigration fraud.
The post in question, which read “Deportation? Please you’re just sending the princess back to her kingdom. Extradition? Say the word …”, was a response to Vance’s assertion that Omar had “definitely committed immigration fraud against the United States of America.” The account, however, has not been verified as an official government channel. In December, Somaliland’s foreign ministry explicitly stated that it had begun identifying non-official social media accounts, emphasizing that the @RepOfSomaliland profile was not authorized to speak for the state.
Somaliland, a self-declared republic in the Horn of Africa, separated from Somalia in 1991 following the collapse of the Somali state. Though it has maintained stability in a volatile region, it remains unrecognized by most international bodies, with Israel being a recent exception. Somalia continues to assert sovereignty over the territory.
Fox News later issued a revised statement, acknowledging that the X account was not a verified government outlet. It adjusted its headline to “Pro-Somaliland account backs extraditing Ilhan Omar after Vance fraud claim.” The post was a follow-up to an interview Vance gave to conservative influencer Benny Johnson on 28 March, where he pressed claims about Omar’s alleged legal violations.
Omar’s chief of staff, Connor McNutt, dismissed Vance’s accusations as “a ridiculous lie and desperate attempt to distract.” He highlighted Vance’s prior admission of creating stories to shift media focus. This incident followed a pattern of misinformation involving Omar and Somali themes. In early 2024, a misinterpreted speech clip from Minneapolis spread widely online, with rightwing figures accusing her of declaring herself “Somalian first.”
The reports emerged amid heightened rhetoric from the White House targeting Minnesota’s Somali community and Somalia. Just days before Vance’s interview, Donald Trump called Somalia a “crooked, disgusting country” and boasted of reclaiming Minnesota “from Somalia.” The Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair)’s Minnesota chapter condemned the remarks, with executive director Jaylani Hussein warning that such portrayals constitute dehumanization.
Omar, who arrived in the U.S. as a refugee at 12 and became a citizen at 17, warned in a December Guardian interview that Trump’s comments were inflaming political violence. “We’ve had people incarcerated for threatening to kill me,” she stated, adding that her concerns extend to anyone “who looks like me in Minneapolis.”
In January, a man sprayed Omar with liquid from a syringe during a Minneapolis town hall, an act that occurred shortly after Trump reiterated xenophobic remarks against her. Federal prosecutors later charged Anthony Kazmierczak, 55, with assault.
“We kindly advise that any news or statements be referenced solely from official and authorized channels to ensure the accuracy and reliability of information.” – Somaliland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs
