Ilhan Omar's Cellphone, Passport Seized in Federal Home Raid Amid Investigations
Agents executed a search warrant at the Minnesota Democrat's Washington home, taking electronic devices and her passport as part of probes into alleged immigration fraud and financial matters.
Federal agents executed a search warrant at the Washington home of Rep. Ilhan Omar and her husband, Tim Mynett, confiscating the Minnesota Democrat's cellphone, notebooks, personal computers, and passport, according to reports.
The raid occurred Monday morning while Omar and Mynett were present at their home. The items seized are part of ongoing federal investigations into the congresswoman.
According to sources familiar with the matter, prosecutors in Minnesota are investigating allegations of immigration fraud. Simultaneously, the office of US Attorney Jeanine Pirro in Washington, D.C., is conducting a separate inquiry into the finances of Omar and Mynett.
The Wall Street Journal, citing US officials, reported that the objective of the immigration investigation is to potentially revoke Omar's citizenship and deport her. Federal law permits the denaturalization of citizens if it is determined that their citizenship was obtained through willful misrepresentation or concealment of material facts.
Reports suggest the immigration probe may focus on whether Omar illegally obtained derivative U.S. citizenship through her father. Some records list her birthdate as October 4, 1981, while others state October 4, 1982. If the 1981 date is accurate, Omar would have been 19 when her father gained citizenship, potentially making her ineligible for derivative citizenship benefits granted to minors.
Previous reporting indicated that after Omar's election to the House of Representatives in 2018, her staff sought to change her listed birthdate from 1981 to 1982 in various official directories and on Wikipedia. If Omar misrepresented her birthdate on any official document, such as a passport renewal or loan application, she could face prosecution for naturalization fraud, which carries a 10-year statute of limitations. Civil denaturalization cases do not have a statute of limitations.
Omar's office has denied any wrongdoing, stating in a response to The Wall Street Journal, "President Trump would love to eliminate one of the most effective progressive voices in Congress. There is no basis for this."