Federal immigration investigators raided the Washington, D.C., home of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) early Monday, bringing an ongoing criminal investigation to the doorstep of one of President Donald Trump’s most outspoken congressional opponents.
According to The Daily Wire, the search involves immigration paperwork completed by Omar’s late father when she was a child. The progressive “Squad” member arrived in the United States as a Somali refugee in 1995 and became an American citizen in 2000.
The Justice Department confirmed that Homeland Security Investigations executed a court-authorized search warrant as part of an ongoing federal investigation. Axios also received confirmation from a DOJ spokesperson that agents conducted the search Monday morning.
CBS News independently confirmed the raid with three sources familiar with the investigation.
Search Follows Homan’s Confirmation Of Investigation
Monday’s operation follows border czar Tom Homan’s acknowledgment last month that federal investigators were examining allegations of immigration fraud involving Omar.
Speaking to Fox News in September, Homan declined to disclose investigative details but argued that a lawmaker’s position would not shield her from scrutiny.
“Regardless if they’re a congresswoman or not, no one’s above the law,” Homan said, according to The Daily Wire’s September reporting.
The allegations concern Omar’s 2009 marriage to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, a British citizen whom critics have alleged is her biological brother. The couple reportedly separated in 2011 and divorced in 2017.
Omar has denied the allegation, calling it “absurd and offensive.” Homan’s confirmation of an investigation did not establish that she committed fraud.
The reported scrutiny of documents completed during Omar’s childhood and the allegations surrounding her later marriage involve different periods of her life. Authorities have not publicly explained how those matters relate within the investigation.
Trump’s Earlier Attacks Return To Spotlight
Trump has repeatedly accused Omar of immigration wrongdoing and suggested she should be sent back to Somalia.
“I believe she married her brother, which is totally illegal,” Trump said at a rally earlier this year, according to The Daily Wire. Those remarks preceded Monday’s search and were not a response to the raid.
Omar has also denied committing immigration fraud. The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that she rejected both allegations in an interview earlier this year.
