Agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a search warrant at the Washington D.C. home of U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar on October 12. The justice department confirmed the action was part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation, though specific details about the probe have not been released.
Reports indicate that Omar's cellphone, personal computers, passport, and notebooks were among the items seized during the search, which occurred while the congresswoman was at her residence with her husband. Since the initial search, investigators have reportedly issued more than a dozen subpoenas to Omar's family members.
The investigation appears to be connected to questions raised about Omar's U.S. citizenship, specifically whether she misrepresented her age when she first arrived in the United States in 1995. Multiple U.S. media outlets have reported that the core of the investigation centers on whether her father provided inaccurate information about her age on her citizenship application, potentially listing her as 17 instead of 18.
Omar, a Somali-born refugee, arrived in the U.S. with her family and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2000. Her immigration records and personal history have faced scrutiny in the past from political opponents. Former President Donald Trump has been among those who have publicly questioned her citizenship and alleged she married her brother to gain citizenship, claims Omar has vehemently denied.
Omar, who has represented Minnesota in Congress since 2018, has described the investigation as a "campaign of political intimidation" and a "sham," while Trump has denied any involvement. The timing of the federal probe, occurring weeks before the November midterm elections, has drawn criticism from some of Omar's Democratic colleagues, who argue that the justice department typically avoids taking action against elected officials close to an election.
Denaturalization lawsuits, where U.S. citizenship granted to individuals not born as citizens is revoked, have seen an increase in filings by administrations in recent years. Such cases typically require the government to prove that the individual intentionally lied about material facts during their application process.
Ilhan Omar's father, Nur Omar Mohamed, settled in Minnesota after arriving from Kenya. He worked as a cab driver and postal worker and died in 2020 from complications related to COVID-19. Reports have surfaced suggesting he may have misrepresented his background, with one researcher claiming he was a colonel in the Somali military under former President Siad Barre's regime, rather than an educator as previously stated by Omar.
Omar has stated she is "ok" and that the investigation is an attempt to target political opponents. "For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns," she wrote on X. "I will not be silenced."