Ilhan Omar's Marriage License Application Shows Name Corrections

A marriage license application filed in 2009 for U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar and Ahmed Elmi, who is alleged to be her brother, contains corrections to Omar's surname. The document, obtained by The Post, shows the surname initially written as Omar, then crossed out and replaced with Elmi, before being changed back to Omar.

The application, dated February 12, 2009, is part of an ongoing federal investigation into whether Omar committed immigration fraud by marrying Elmi, a British citizen. The Justice Department has referred to Omar in court filings as "Congresswoman Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, a/k/a Ilhan Abdullahi Omar." A source familiar with the investigation previously told The Post that Omar is not the congresswoman's "real" last name, suggesting she was born with the surname Elmi.

Scott W. Johnson, an attorney who has been investigating Omar's alleged immigration fraud, described the situation as a "red flag" and stated that "questions should be asked." He characterized the marriage as "fraudulent" and "brazenly fraudulent," entered into for an improper purpose.

AJ Kern, a former Minnesota congressional candidate who has examined Omar's immigration records, also believes the evidence points to immigration fraud. Kern expressed concern that if Omar did not legitimately obtain citizenship, it would represent a failure of Congress.

Omar has generally dismissed allegations of fraud as a racist conspiracy theory. When asked directly if she married her brother in a recent interview, she responded, "Not to my knowledge."

President Trump has also publicly commented on the matter, stating that "Omar is not her real name."

The Justice Department reportedly launched an investigation into Omar's marriage to Elmi in 2016, during President Obama's administration. The probe focused on whether Omar illegally married her brother to help him obtain a green card. The investigation was closed in 2021 by the Biden administration, with authorities citing a five-year statute of limitations that would have required charges to be filed by 2014. The FBI was also unable to interview Elmi as he had returned to the UK.

There are also questions surrounding Omar's birthdate, with some records listing it as October 4, 1981, and others as October 4, 1982. If the earlier date is accurate, Omar would have been of legal age when her father became a U.S. citizen, potentially impacting the circumstances of her own citizenship. The investigation also includes scrutiny of how Omar's father obtained his citizenship.

While Omar cannot face criminal charges if she unlawfully obtained citizenship, civil denaturalization proceedings could potentially lead to her deportation, as there is no statute of limitations for such actions.

Omar has been married three times. Her first marriage was to Ahmed Hirsi in 2002, with whom she had two children. She then legally married Elmi in 2009, divorcing him in 2017. She legally remarried Hirsi in 2018, filing for divorce a year later. Her current husband is Tim Mynett, whom she married in 2020.