Isra Hirsi, daughter of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), is under fire after posting a radical message on Instagram that praised violent anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles and called for the destruction of what she labeled “the colonial empire.” The post, which linked U.S. immigration enforcement with the Gaza conflict, declared, “From L.A. to Rafah, there is one common oppressor — Death to the colonial empire. Life for our children.”
The message came as far-left protesters in downtown Los Angeles clashed with police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. The riots included Molotov cocktails, smashed windows, and pro-Hamas chants of “Free Palestine” and “Intifada revolution.” Protesters waved Palestinian flags and attacked government buildings, framing their violence as resistance to oppression.
Hirsi’s post portrayed both the United States and Israel as colonial forces deserving of violent opposition. Critics argue the rhetoric glorifies domestic insurrection and aligns with far-left movements calling for the collapse of American and Israeli institutions.
This isn’t Hirsi’s first promotion of radical causes. In March, she supported a fundraiser for Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate detained by ICE. Khalil, accused of violent activism and spreading anti-American ideology, was a senior figure in Columbia’s Apartheid Divest campaign, which called for the “total eradication of Western civilization.” The fundraiser exceeded $570,000.
Hirsi was recently suspended from Barnard College, a Columbia affiliate, for her involvement in an unauthorized anti-Israel encampment that was dismantled by the NYPD. Despite her suspension, Rep. Ilhan Omar praised her daughter, saying she was “enormously proud” of her activism.
The escalating rhetoric and violent protest tactics embraced by Hirsi and her allies have alarmed conservative and law enforcement leaders. The fusion of anti-American, anti-Israel sentiment with militant “anti-colonial” ideology is fueling a dangerous narrative that links immigration enforcement with global jihadist sympathies. Many see it as a sign that far-left activism is moving beyond peaceful protest into radical calls for revolution on U.S. soil.
