Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN), a prominent figure in the discourse surrounding social justice, found herself at the center of controversy following her deletion of a Juneteenth post commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. The post was removed after critics pointed out the ongoing practice of slavery in her native Somalia. While one message was expunged, another, which skirts the issue of slavery, remains available on her social media account.
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In her original post, Omar reflected, “160 years ago on June 19, 1865, slavery ended in this country. Today, we celebrate Black freedom, resilience, and achievement, and continue the work to root out systematic racism from our policies and institutions.” However, her statement did not go unnoticed by social media users.
At 1:10 p.m. EDT, a response from known MAGA supporter Gunther Eagleman read: “Somalia still has slaves. Ilhan should go fight to free her own people.”
Somalia still has slaves. Ilhan should go fight to free her own people. https://t.co/12V0fzaP52
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) June 19, 2025
Shortly thereafter, at 1:23 p.m., Eagleman tweeted again, announcing, “She deleted her post.”
She deleted her post https://t.co/Q2Cm7Flt3R pic.twitter.com/cQGTquNsIy
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) June 19, 2025
Omar’s other Juneteenth message, which remains online, states, “On Juneteenth, we remember that freedom is not always swift but it is always worth the fight. It’s a powerful reminder of how long justice can take to reach those who deserve it most. Today, we celebrate Black freedom, resilience, and achievement, and continue the work to root out systematic racism from our policies and institutions.”
On Juneteenth, we remember that freedom is not always swift but it is always worth the fight. It’s a powerful reminder of how long justice can take to reach those who deserve it most.
Today, we celebrate Black freedom, resilience, and achievement, and continue the work to root…
— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) June 19, 2025
According to a 2024 State Department report, human trafficking remains a pressing issue in Somalia, where internally displaced persons (IDPs), minority groups, and children are particularly vulnerable to sex trafficking and forced labor. The report indicates that some families, in a tragic twist of fate, willingly relinquish custody of their children to those with familial ties or clan connections, only to see them exploited for labor or sexual purposes.
IDPs, minority populations, people residing in al-Shabaab territory, and Somali children working in informal sectors remain the most vulnerable to sex trafficking and forced labor. Some Somalis willingly surrender custody of their children to people with whom they share familial ties or clan linkages who may subsequently exploit some of these children in forced labor or sex trafficking. Traffickers may exploit children in forced labor in agriculture, domestic work, herding, selling or portering khat, crushing stones, fishing, forced begging, or construction.
Furthermore, a 2023 report by Walk Free estimated that there are nearly 100,000 individuals enslaved in Somalia.
Truth! pic.twitter.com/xysCkl7sYA
— Central Texas Patriot (@centtexpatriot) June 19, 2025
