Congresswoman's Daughter Comments On Protest
Isra Hirsi, daughter of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), has sparked national outrage after posting a message on Instagram that praised violent anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles and directly connected the unrest to the conflict in Gaza. In her now-viral post, Hirsi declared: “From L.A. to Rafah, there is one common oppressor — Death to the colonial empire. Life for our children.”
The post appeared amid a backdrop of escalating street violence in downtown Los Angeles, where anti-ICE demonstrators, some waving Palestinian flags, clashed with law enforcement. Rioters deployed Molotov cocktails and vandalized property while chanting pro-Palestinian slogans such as “Free Palestine” and “Intifada now.”
Hirsi’s message framed these acts of violence as legitimate resistance against what she characterized as “colonial empires,” equating U.S. immigration enforcement with Israeli national defense.
Her statement drew immediate criticism from lawmakers and commentators who viewed it as a veiled call for revolutionary violence.
The suggestion that America and Israel are jointly part of a “colonial oppressor” structure is increasingly common in far-left circles, but Hirsi’s embrace of violent rhetoric crossed a new threshold. Critics warn such narratives are no longer isolated expressions of radical ideology, but growing rallying cries that could incite further domestic unrest.
Hirsi’s activism has extended beyond social media posts. In March, she publicly supported a fundraiser for Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate detained by ICE for alleged involvement in violent protests and for espousing radical anti-American views. Khalil, affiliated with the Columbia University Apartheid Divest group (CUAD), was described by critics as a Hamas sympathizer advocating for the “total eradication of Western civilization.”
The fundraiser, which Hirsi helped amplify, has now raised over $570,000 — more than twice its original goal.
Hirsi was also recently suspended from Barnard College following her role in organizing and occupying the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment,” a protest that defied campus rules and was ultimately shut down by NYPD officers.
Her mother, Rep. Ilhan Omar, praised her daughter’s activism, stating she was “enormously proud,” a sentiment that only deepened political divisions over the issue.