A new video circulating on social media purports to show U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar telling Somali American voters who did not back Minneapolis mayoral challenger Omar Fateh that they should be "expelled"—a claim based on English subtitles to a Somali-language speech that independent newsrooms have not verified. The controversy follows Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s reelection over Fateh and echoes earlier translation disputes involving Omar’s Somali-language remarks.
Minneapolis voters reelected Mayor Jacob Frey to a third term in the city’s ranked-choice election, defeating state Sen. Omar Fateh in the final tabulation. According to the Associated Press, Frey finished with about 50.03% to Fateh’s 44.37% after second-round counting, in a contest that drew a record turnout. (apnews.com)
In the days after the election, conservative commentators amplified a video clip of Rep. Ilhan Omar speaking in Somali to community members, with English subtitles that allege she said Somali voters who did not support Fateh should be “expelled” from the country. The clip was promoted by Andy Ngo and aggregated by outlets such as the Daily Wire and Twitchy; however, the translation has not been independently verified by mainstream news organizations, and Omar’s office has not issued a detailed public translation of this specific video. Given prior disputes over English renderings of Omar’s Somali-language speeches, the allegation warrants caution. (dailywire.com)
Those prior disputes are instructive: in January 2024, a viral subtitled video of a different Somali-language speech by Omar drew calls for her expulsion, but independent translators enlisted by PolitiFact, the Minnesota Reformer, the Star Tribune, and Sahan Journal found key lines in that clip were inaccurately translated or taken out of context. Omar also disputed those subtitles. (politifact.com)
Separately, some social media posts and opinion sites have suggested that Somali clan identities—often referred to as qabiil—shaped voter behavior in Minneapolis this year. While these claims have circulated widely online, they remain anecdotal and unproven. Minnesota’s Department of Health notes for clinicians that “clans are a very sensitive topic for many Somalis” and advises avoiding clan discussions with patients, underscoring the subject’s sensitivity. (dailywire.com)
The mayoral race unfolded amid unusual party turbulence. Fateh initially won the Minneapolis DFL’s endorsement in July, but the state DFL revoked it in August after determining the convention’s voting process was flawed, placed the local party on two years’ probation, and barred it from re‑endorsing. Fateh’s campaign and allied officials criticized the move as undemocratic; the state party cited missing and mishandled ballots and credentials. (cbsnews.com)
Context around deportation rhetoric also resurfaced. In an October 31, 2025 interview, Omar said she did not fear deportation and, as a grown adult, could live anywhere—remarks that the White House later mocked with a taunting post on X. Omar is a naturalized U.S. citizen. (politico.com)
A separate episode often invoked in online debates predates this election. In 2023, the Minnesota DFL banned Minneapolis City Council candidate Nasri Warsame from seeking party endorsement after a Ward 10 convention devolved into chaos; the party’s investigation blamed his campaign. That action—not alleged clan politics—was the official reason for the ban. (fox9.com)
Bottom line: Frey’s win over Fateh is documented; the claim that Omar advocated “expelling” Somali voters who opposed Fateh rests on an unverified translation promoted by partisan outlets, and prior fact‑checks show that subtitles of her Somali-language remarks have been wrong before. Assertions that clan dynamics determined the election are, at this stage, largely based on social media chatter rather than established reporting. (apnews.com)
