Rep. Ilhan Omar’s daughter arrested, suspended from college over pro-Palestinian protests

The daughter of Minnesota Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar was arrested Thursday while participating in pro-Palestinian protests in New York, and said she was suspended from her private liberal arts college in the city over her participation.

At a news conference, New York City police confirmed that Isra Hirsi was among the 108 protesters arrested for alleged trespassing. The confirmation of Hirsi’s arrest came after comments from Mayor Eric Adams and Police Commissioner Edward Caban, who said Columbia University requested police to respond to the protests, and to “intervene if necessary.”

Hirsi said she was among a few Barnard College students who were suspended for participating in a “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” at Columbia University. Barnard and Columbia are partner schools across the street from each other.

“i’m an organizer with CU Apartheid Divest @ColumbiaSJP, in my 3 years at @BarnardCollege i have never been reprimanded or received any disciplinary warnings. i just received notice that i am 1 of 3 students suspended for standing in solidarity with Palestinians facing a genocide,” Hirsi posted on X.

“those of us in Gaza Solidarity Encampment will not be intimidated. we will stand resolute until our demands are met. our demands include divestment from companies complicit in genocide, transparency of @Columbia‘s investments and FULL amnesty for all students facing repression,” Hirsi wrote.

Omar has been an outspoken critic of Israel’s government and an advocate for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza. Omar declined to comment through her spokeswoman.

Barnard College issued a statement Thursday saying the students had set up an unauthorized encampment on Columbia’s south lawn early Wednesday morning and had been asked to leave multiple times. College staff told the students they would be sanctioned if they didn’t leave, the statement said.

“This morning, April 18, we started to place identified Barnard students remaining in the encampment on interim suspension, and we will continue to do so,” the college’s statement said.

Hirsi’s announcement that she was suspended came a day after Columbia University President Nemat Shafik testified before Congress about antisemitism on campus. During that hearing, Omar questioned Shafik about how the college treats protesters. She did not mention her daughter’s role in campus protests.

“There has been a recent attack on the democratic rights of students across the country. I was appalled to learn that in April, Columbia suspended and evicted six students for their involvement in the pro-Palestinian panel event on campus,” Omar said to Shafik. “It happened that all six students were arbitrarily targeted after the university brought in a team of private and former police investigators. These investigators harassed, intimidated Palestinian students at their homes, demanding to see students’ private text messages.”

Shafik responded: “This was a very serious case. We had students who on an online call ... invited people who were inciting violence, and that is unacceptable. We needed to get to the bottom of it, and so that’s why we brought private investigators, along with notifying the FBI.”

The panel event that Omar questioned Shafik about appears to have been highly controversial. In a statement in early April, Shafik called the event an “abhorrent breach of our values” and said “it featured speakers who are known to support terrorism and promote violence.”

“That I would ever have to declare the following is in itself surprising, but I want to make clear that it is absolutely unacceptable for any member of this community to promote the use of terror or violence,” Shafik said in her statement.