Federal agents searched the Washington, D.C.-area home of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., on Monday, Oct. 12, as part of an ongoing criminal investigation, according to the Department of Justice.
Agents with Homeland Security Investigations executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the Justice Department, a department spokesperson confirmed in a statement. Officials did not disclose the investigation’s full scope, what evidence agents were seeking, or whether the search would lead to criminal charges.
The search was connected to a criminal fraud investigation involving Omar’s immigration paperwork, including documents reportedly completed by her late father when she was a child.
The search comes amid renewed scrutiny of Omar’s immigration and naturalization records. Omar, 44, fled war-torn Somalia with her family in the 1990s and became a U.S. citizen in 2000 as a teenager. Republican critics have raised questions over the years about her immigration history and the circumstances surrounding her citizenship.
In September, federal investigators were examining possible discrepancies in Omar’s naturalization records and documents submitted by her father, Nur Said Mohamed Elmi. Sources cited in that reporting said investigators could examine the accuracy of information provided during the naturalization process, including details about her age and her father’s background.
This comes after longstanding allegations that Omar’s former husband, Ahmed Elmi, was her brother. Those allegations have not been substantiated. Investigators were more likely to focus on immigration documentation than on the former marriage.
An immigration official cited by the Post said deliberate misrepresentations in naturalization documents, if proven, could potentially lead to proceedings to revoke citizenship. However, no criminal charges against Omar had been announced in connection with Monday’s search, and the execution of a search warrant does not establish that a person has committed a crime.
Omar, first elected to Congress in 2018, represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, which includes Minneapolis. She is a prominent member of the progressive House group known as the “Squad” and has frequently clashed with President Donald Trump over immigration enforcement and other administration policies.
The Justice Department had not publicly provided further details about the investigation at the time of reporting.
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