Ilhan Omar faces federal probe into her immigration status and family ties
Investigators are examining the late father of the Minnesota congresswoman, reviving questions about her marriage and citizenship.
Homeland Security agents recently raided the Washington D.C. home of Rep. Ilhan Omar, seizing her phone and passport as part of a federal criminal probe. Investigators are reportedly focusing on whether Omar's late father, Nur Omar Mohamed, provided false information on immigration forms.
Omar became a U.S. citizen in 2000 at age 17, a pathway to citizenship that was closed to individuals aged 18 and older. Her birth year was reportedly changed from 1981 to 1982 on her Minnesota legislature biography in May 2019, according to the New York Post.
The raid on October 12 targeted the home Omar shares with her husband, Tim Mynett. Grand jury subpoenas have been issued to her sister, Sahra Noor, and at least one other family member.
This is not the first time Omar's immigration status has been scrutinized. Homeland Security Investigations examined her in 2019, finding insufficient evidence of wrongdoing at that time, a former official told the Washington Post.
The current probe has also reignited claims that Omar's 2009 marriage to British citizen Ahmed Nur Said Elmi was a marriage to her brother, a suggestion Omar has called "absurd and offensive." No evidence supporting this claim has been publicly presented.
Omar, who denies any wrongdoing and has not been charged, has characterized the raid as an "attempt to target political enemies."
Father's Immigration Status Under Scrutiny
Nur Omar Mohamed brought his family to the United States in 1995, settling in the Washington D.C. suburbs before moving to Minneapolis. He worked as a taxi driver and later for the U.S. Postal Service. Somali historian Mohamed Haji Ingiriis described Nur Omar Mohamed as a "full colonel in Siad Barre's military regime" and claimed he misrepresented himself as a refugee upon arrival in the U.S. His immigration paperwork is central to the current investigation, as Omar states she obtained her citizenship through his naturalization. Nur Omar Mohamed died in June 2020.
Past Marriages and Relationships
Omar married Ahmed Nur Said Elmi in February 2009. Records indicated they were 26 and 23, respectively, at the time. Elmi, a British citizen, later returned to London and has not responded to past requests for comment. Community leaders have stated that Omar introduced Elmi as her brother to Ahmed Hirsi, the father of her children, and indicated she needed to help him obtain papers for school. Omar and Elmi divorced in 2017.
Omar and Hirsi had a religious ceremony in 2002, but it was not a legal marriage. They separated in 2008 but reconciled in 2011, while Omar was still legally married to Elmi. Their third child was born in 2012. Omar filed joint federal tax returns with Hirsi in 2014 and 2015, while still legally married to Elmi. Omar and Hirsi legally married in January 2018, less than two months after her divorce from Elmi was finalized. Their marriage ended when Hirsi reportedly found Omar with Tim Mynett. They divorced in November 2019.
Current Marriage and Business Dealings
Omar married Tim Mynett, a Democratic political consultant, in March 2020. Their relationship came to light in 2019 when they were seen dining together while both were married to other people. Mynett's then-wife filed for divorce that August, citing his "devastating and shocking declaration of love" for Omar.
Omar's campaign paid Mynett's firm, E Street Group, more than $2.8 million during the 2019-20 election cycle. Mynett later co-founded a venture capital firm, Rose Lake Capital, and a winery. Omar's initial financial disclosure for 2024 valued his stake in these businesses significantly, though she later amended the filing to reflect no net value, attributing the discrepancy to an accounting error. The Office of Congressional Conduct has voted to dismiss misconduct allegations regarding these filings, while a separate criminal investigation into the valuations is ongoing.
Sister Subpoenaed
Sahra Noor, Omar's older sister, was among those who received grand jury subpoenas. Noor holds degrees in nursing and health systems administration and manages a consulting firm focused on health initiatives. Her memoir, "Salt in the Snow," was released in August and explores themes of migration and belonging. A subpoena does not indicate suspicion of a crime.
Children and Related Incidents
Omar has three children. Her oldest son, Adnan Hirsi, shares an apartment where Minneapolis police conducted a search on August 25, seizing guns and ammunition belonging to his roommate, Abdulrahman Abdi. Abdi faces a weapons charge, but Adnan Hirsi is not accused of wrongdoing. Isra Hirsi, the eldest daughter, co-founded the U.S. Youth Climate Strike. The youngest child, Ilwad Hirsi, was born in 2012.