Washington (TDI): US federal authorities are investigating Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar’s decades-old immigration records, with the inquiry potentially examining whether she or members of her family provided false information during their arrival in the United States as refugees or in subsequent citizenship proceedings, according to people familiar with the matter.
Three sources said that the investigation followed a predawn search of Omar’s home on Monday. The Minnesota congresswoman, who was born in Somalia and has represented her district in the US House of Representatives since 2019, has denied wrongdoing and described the search as an act of “political intimidation,” Reuters reported.
According to one person familiar with the investigation, the sealed search warrant listed conspiracy, false statements on immigration paperwork and immigration fraud among the potential offences under examination.
One source told Reuters that a possible objective of the inquiry could be to revoke Omar’s US citizenship and pursue her deportation. President Donald Trump and his homeland security chief have previously raised the possibility of such action.
The investigation has drawn attention because Omar is a prominent Democratic lawmaker who has frequently faced criticism from Trump. The timing has also raised questions about the use of federal law enforcement involving a political opponent ahead of an election in which she is seeking re-election.
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These concerns have been raised by critics of the administration, but the available information does not establish that the investigation is politically motivated.
Two people familiar with the matter told Reuters that agents from Homeland Security Investigations, a division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, seized Omar’s personal mobile phone during the search.
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Federal prosecutors also issued more than a dozen subpoenas, including one to at least one of Omar’s relatives, the sources said. One source added that a sister of the congresswoman spoke voluntarily with federal agents.
It remained unclear what evidence prosecutors presented to the federal magistrate judge who authorized the search warrant.
