ROCHESTER, MN. – MAY 2026: U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar speaks during Day 2 of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party Convention in the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, Minn. on Saturday, May 30, 2026. (Photo by Alex Kormann/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images)

On Oct. 12, before sunrise, federal agents searched Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s Washington, D.C., home. Media footage shows agents carrying out boxes labeled “Seized Property Evidence.“ Although Omar hasn’t been officially charged, the Justice Department says a judge approved the warrant as part of an ongoing criminal investigation, according to Reuters. Meanwhile, Omar called the search “an attempt to weaponize federal law enforcement,” and maintained that she will not be silenced in a post on X.

Along with the shock value of it all, the timing matters. Omar is on the ballot in three weeks, running for reelection to represent Minnesota’s 5th congressional district. The Justice Department has long avoided public investigative steps against candidates within 60 days of an election. That tradition was broken for a Somali-born, Muslim, Black congresswoman the president has attacked for years.

“She’s garbage. Her friends are garbage.” President Trump said about Rep. Omar in December 2025. He told her to “go back” to where she came from and let a rally crowd chant “send her back” during a campaign rally. He mocked her hijab, calling it a “little turban,” and called Somali immigrants garbage. Vice President JD Vance has publicly accused the congresswoman of immigration fraud without evidence to support his claim. This is what happens when racism, sexism and xenophobia become policy.

Notice who is continually targeted. New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted after Trump demanded her prosecution. Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook faced an attempt to fire her and is now at the center of a White House probe. Rep. LaMonica McIver was indicted after a confrontation at an ICE detention center. Now Omar.

Black women in power who refuse to bow to the Trump administration are meeting the full weight of the federal government. The message isn’t only for them. It’s for every one of us who speaks up. This isn’t law enforcement. It’s racism, sexism and xenophobia with a badge and a warrant. And as always, Black women are the first ones it comes for.

Randi Bryant is the president of Bryant Consulting Group and the creator of Truthing with Randi B.