Federal agents searched Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home in the District of Columbia early Monday as part of an immigration fraud investigation, while the Democratic congresswoman’s allies slammed the White House for launching the operation less than a month before she faces reelection.
The raid carried out by Homeland Security agents is connected to a probe of the immigration forms that Ms. Omar’s late father filled out when she was a child, according to multiple reports.
“Today in the Washington DC, area, Homeland Security Investigations executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the Department of Justice. This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation,” the Department of Justice said in a statement.
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The search comes after border czar Tom Homan confirmed last month that Ms. Omar is the focus of a criminal investigation.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said at the time that Ms. Omar was being looked into for potential immigration fraud related to her family’s arrival in the U.S., but Ms. Omar said she had never been contacted about an investigation into her immigration status.
President Trump derided Ms. Omar during a weekend rally and teased a potential development in the investigation by saying, “Let’s see what happens.” He added that Vice President J.D. Vance and other administration officials “are looking at it very strongly.”
Ms. Omar, 44, responded to the raid by saying she “will not be silenced” and described the search as the Trump administration trying to frighten her.
“Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement,” the lawmaker said. “For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation.”
Party allies quickly rallied to her defense. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called the search an “abuse of power,” California Rep. Ro Khanna said the raid was “deeply disturbing” and Illinois Rep. Delia Rodriguez threatened to “dismantle DHS” because it was being used to “persecute” Ms. Omar.
House Democratic leaders also spoke out against the raid, saying it’s another example of the “corrupt weaponization of the federal government” and vowed to hold the White House accountable.
“For years, Donald Trump and far-right extremists have relentlessly targeted Congresswoman Omar with vile personal attacks and baseless accusations,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, party whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and caucus chair Pete Aguilar of California said in a joint statement.
“Now, less than 30 days until the midterm election, his violent mass deportation machine has descended upon the home of a duly elected member of Congress and her family.”
It’s unclear what about the immigration paperwork filed by Ms. Omar’s father, Nur Omar Mohamed, may be subject to investigation.
Mohamed died in 2020. Official statements said he worked as a teacher in his native country, but an obituary said he served in the Somali National Army during the oppressive Siad Barre regime.
Ms. Omar was born in war-torn Somalia and came to the U.S. in 1995 as a 12-year-old. Her family was granted refugee status, and she became a naturalized American citizen in 2000.
The Trump-run Department of Justice has made cracking down on immigration fraud a priority and has sought to denaturalize citizens who fudged personal details during the application process.
Mr. Trump and other Republicans have accused Ms. Omar of abusing the immigration system since she became a public figure 10 years ago.
The most salacious allegation is that Ms. Omar married her brother, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, in 2009 in order to secure him immigration benefits. The congresswoman has denied those claims.
The pair broke up in 2011 under what Ms. Omar called a Muslim “faith tradition,” but they did not formally divorce until 2017.
Ms. Omar’s romantic history with Ahmed Hirsi, her first husband and the father of her three children, has also defied convention.
Ms. Omar and Mr. Hirsi were wed in what the politician described as a Muslim marriage, but the couple never obtained a marriage license. She had two children with Mr. Hirsi before they separated in 2008.
The congresswoman reconciled with Mr. Hirsi after her failed marriage to Mr. Elmi, and the couple had a third child together.
Ms. Omar did not officially marry Mr. Hirsi until 2018, only to divorce him a year later.
The lawmaker has been married to one of her former campaign consultants, Tim Mynett, since 2020.
Ms. Omar has been one of the more visible members of Congress since her election in 2018.
She is a member of “The Squad,” a group of far-left female lawmakers who gained their nickname for opposing Mr. Trump and his policies.
• Stephen Dinan contributed to this story.
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