Ilhan Omar Faces Federal Investigation Into Citizenship Status
Reports suggest investigators are seeking evidence to potentially revoke the congresswoman's citizenship and deport her.
Federal investigators are reportedly examining evidence that could lead to the stripping of U.S. citizenship from Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota, and her subsequent deportation. The probe reportedly centers on whether Omar, who was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, provided false information to become a U.S. citizen.
Omar's family settled in the Washington D.C. suburbs before moving to Minnesota. She gained citizenship through her father in 2000. To revoke her citizenship, the Justice Department would need to file a lawsuit proving she materially lied on her citizenship application. Sources familiar with the investigation told The Wall Street Journal that Homeland Security agents seized Omar's cellphone, notebooks, personal computers, and passport during a raid on her Washington D.C. home. More than a dozen subpoenas have also been issued, including to some of Omar's relatives, seeking testimony before a Minnesota grand jury.
Investigators are reportedly trying to determine if Omar or her father changed her age on her citizenship application. If she was 18 when her father naturalized, she would have had to undergo her own immigration process. If she was 17, she would have automatically qualified for citizenship.
Leon Fresco, a former Obama administration immigration official, told The Wall Street Journal that the case hinges on finding evidence of Omar lying about her age. However, officials under the Biden administration reportedly decided not to proceed with a similar inquiry due to a lack of evidence.
Omar has consistently denied any wrongdoing, stating in 2018 that she became a citizen before turning 18 through her father's naturalization. Her office characterized the investigation as an attempt to silence her, stating "there is no basis" for the inquiry and that President Trump would want to "eliminate one of the most effective progressive voices in Congress."
However, reports indicate that Omar's staff requested changes to her birthdate in official records. While her birth year was listed as 1981 for years, her aides reportedly asked the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library in May 2019 to change it to 1982, citing an incorrect birth year. Emails suggest aides also lobbied Wikipedia and the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress to make similar corrections.
Federal prosecutors have issued grand jury subpoenas to Omar's sister, Sahra Noor, who runs a Minneapolis-based consulting firm that has secured significant funding for health initiatives, and at least one other relative. Additionally, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced her office is investigating the congresswoman's financial disclosures.
Omar's financial filings have drawn scrutiny before. Her 2025 filing initially listed assets between $6 million and $30 million shared with her husband, a figure later amended to a smaller range due to reported accounting errors. The House's ethics watchdog previously recommended dismissing allegations related to these filings.
Omar has also faced past allegations, including claims that her 2009 marriage to Ahmed Elmi was intended to help him obtain U.S. immigration status. Omar has denied these claims, stating that Elmi was not her brother and that the marriage was not fraudulent.
When asked about the search, former President Donald Trump stated he had no involvement, asserting the matter was "really up to the DOJ," while still labeling Omar as "totally crooked."
