An investigation into allegations that U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., married her brother in an alleged immigration fraud scheme in 2009 was initiated under the Obama administration in 2016, Fox News Digital has confirmed. A U.S. Attorney in Minnesota, appointed by President Joe Biden, eventually closed the probe in 2021, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The issue has resurfaced as part of a new federal investigation into the Somali-born congresswoman, which includes scrutiny of whether she or her father committed immigration fraud on her application for U.S. citizenship. Sources previously indicated that Omar's birth name is Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, and in a federal court document, she was referred to as "Ilhan Omar Nur Said Elmi, a/k/a Ilhan Omar." In 2009, Omar, then a U.S. citizen, married Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, who shares that surname. The couple officially divorced in 2017.
The New York Times first reported that Obama's FBI and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began the inquiry in the summer of 2016, finding "some evidence that [the marriage] was fraudulent." The Times reported that the investigation concluded after officials determined the potential felony was past the statute of limitations.
Despite the investigation into Omar during her campaign for the Minnesota House, a recent Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) raid on her Washington, D.C. home on Oct. 12, where federal authorities reportedly confiscated her passport, personal phone, and computer, drew criticism from former President Obama. He stated on X, formerly Twitter, that "it is a basic principle of American democracy that the government can’t selectively target individuals simply because of their political beliefs or what they say." Obama characterized the actions as the Trump administration targeting Omar due to her criticism of the sitting president.
Omar has consistently denied the allegations of marrying her brother, referring to them as a baseless conspiracy theory promoted by the political right. A spokesperson for Omar told Fox News Digital last week that "This is a desperate political smear designed to distract from Trump’s failed presidency and two years of Republican failure in Congress. And it’s disgraceful that the media continues to give this lie oxygen." The same spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.