Ilhan Omar World War 11 Video: A short clip of Ilhan Omar has gone viral across social media in which the Minnesota Representative appears to refer to World War II as “World War Eleven.” intelligence. In the clip, Omar is heard saying, “the last time the Alien Enemies Act was invoked. It was used to detain and deport German, Japanese, Italian immigrants during World War 11.” The video has gained millions of views, spreading across platforms and drawing sharp reactions from critics and supporters alike. The video has been verified as authentic. It originates from a C-SPAN recording of a press conference held in January 2025, where Omar appears to have made the comments while discussing historical use of the Alien Enemies Act.
Donald Trump’s Criticism of Ilhan Omar
US President Donald Trump has previously targeted Omar with personal attacks. In a Truth Social post earlier this year, he referred to her as “Low IQ Ilhan Omar.”
Online reactions to the video were swift and often harsh. One widely shared post read, “I can’t believe this dummy is in Congress,” while others mocked her with sarcastic remarks about her education and understanding of history.
Conservative columnist Ed Morrissey reacted with skepticism, posting, “Was this for real? I thought it might be AI.”
Was this for real? I thought it might be AI. https://t.co/oCEdYWDFw5
— Ed Morrissey (@EdMorrissey) April 27, 2026
Misinformation Around Ilhan Omar
Misinformation targeting Omar is not new. Over the years, multiple false or misleading claims about the Minnesota Democrat have circulated widely online. Among them are recurring allegations about her intelligence, often amplified by political opponents and commentators.
Fact-checkers have debunked several viral claims, including assertions that Omar had “23 arrests” or that she made statements supporting terrorism. Another widely circulated claim, that she married her brother, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, in 2009 for immigration purposes, has also been proven false.
🇺🇸 You won’t believe this guys
Rep. Ilhan Omar: “The last time the Alien Enemies Act was invoked, it was used… during World War ELEVEN.”
She meant World War II
The Alien Enemies Act has been invoked 3 times. None of them during World War Elevenpic.twitter.com/g9SPUa3Eiy https://t.co/843DMfWLOM
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) April 27, 2026
Ilhan Omar’s Criticism Of ICE
The controversy comes amid Ilhan Omar’s recent criticism of proposed changes to the US immigration enforcement agency. She strongly opposed a move by the Department of Homeland Security to rename Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to “National Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” which would change its acronym to “NICE.”
Responding to reports that Trump supports the rebranding, Omar wrote on X,“A rebrand won’t distract us from the truth, this reprehensible agency murdered two Minnesotans in broad daylight. Abolish ICE.”
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
