MN05

Ilhan Omar was born in Somalia and her family fled the country's civil war when she was eight-
years-old.
They lived in a refugee camp in Kenya for four years before coming to the United States. As a
representative, she is committed to fighting for the shared values of here district, values that put
people at
the center of our democracy.

Ilhan Omar graduated from North Dakota State University with bachelor's degrees in political
science and
international studies and was a Policy Fellow at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of
Public
Affairs

Omar began her professional career as a community nutrition educator at the University of
Minnesota.
Prior to running for office herself, she managed several Minnesota campaigns. In 2016 she won a
seat in
the Minnesota House of Representatives and served as an Assistant Minority Leader for the DFL
caucus.

First elected to Congress in 2018, Ilhan is the first Somali-American, the first naturalized citizen
from
Africa, the first non-white woman from Minnesota, and one of the first two Muslim women to serve in
Congress.

Omar is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and has advocated for a living wage,
affordable housing and healthcare, student loan debt forgiveness, the protection of Deferred Action
for
Childhood Arrivals, and abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). She has
strongly
opposed the immigration policies of the Trump administration, including the Trump travel ban.

She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and three children.