Federal agents searched the Washington, D.C., home of Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar on Monday as part of a federal criminal investigation reportedly involving immigration fraud allegations, in an extraordinary operation targeting one of President Donald Trump's most prominent political critics just three weeks before the US midterm elections.
The early morning search was carried out by agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the investigative arm of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Justice Department confirmed that agents had executed a search warrant authorized by a judge, but did not publicly specify the nature of the investigation.
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Ilhan Omar's home searched amid reported immigration fraud investigation
(Photo: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
The department said the operation was part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation. Fox News reported that investigators were examining immigration documents completed by Omar's late father when she was a child.
The search has attracted significant attention because Omar, a progressive Democrat representing Minnesota, has long been a target of attacks by Trump and other senior Republicans. Its timing, less than a month before congressional elections, has also raised questions about the Justice Department's longstanding practice of exercising particular caution when conducting politically sensitive investigations close to an election.
CNN described the operation as an unusually aggressive investigative step against a politician actively seeking reelection.
Immigration fraud allegations and claims Omar married her brother
Omar, who was born in Somalia, arrived in the United States at age 12 after her family spent time in a refugee camp in Kenya. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 2018, becoming, alongside Palestinian American Democrat Rashida Tlaib, one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress.
Since then, she has won reelection three times and is now seeking a fifth term representing Minnesota's 5th Congressional District, which includes Minneapolis.
Republican politicians and conservative commentators have for years raised allegations about Omar's immigration history, including an unsubstantiated claim that she married her brother to help him obtain immigration status or student loans.
HSI agents and residents near Omar's home in Washington on Monday
(Photo: AP/ J. Scott Applewhite)
Omar married British citizen Ahmed Nur Said Elmi in 2009, and the couple divorced in 2017. She has repeatedly denied that Elmi is her brother, describing the allegations as "disgusting lies."
Republicans have also accused her of tax irregularities and suggested that she entered the United States in 1995 using a false name or different family identity to circumvent delays in refugee applications.
Those allegations have not been established as fact, and the Justice Department has not publicly confirmed whether they are directly connected to Monday's search.
Vance accused Omar of immigration fraud without presenting evidence
In May, Vice President JD Vance publicly accused Omar of immigration fraud, saying that he and Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller were exploring ways to investigate the Minnesota congresswoman.
"It certainly seems like something fishy is there, but everybody's entitled to equal justice under the laws," Vance said at the time.
He said officials intended to examine the allegations and pursue prosecution if investigators found evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
Vice President JD Vance
(Photo: AP/ Mark Schiefelbein)
In a separate interview with conservative podcast host Benny Johnson, Vance made a more categorical accusation, claiming without presenting evidence that Omar had committed immigration fraud against the United States.
Omar's office strongly rejected the accusations.
Her chief of staff, Connor McNutt, accused Vance of deliberately spreading falsehoods to distract attention from the administration's policies and political difficulties.
"This is rich coming from someone who literally said they were willing to 'create stories' to redirect the media," McNutt said.
He described the allegations as a ridiculous lie and an attempt to divert attention from the administration's war with Iran, rising gasoline prices and declining Republican polling numbers.
McNutt also used the phrase "pedophile protection party" in his criticism of Republicans, referring to allegations that the Trump administration had sought to prevent the release of documents connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump calls for Omar to be institutionalized
Omar has become one of Trump's most frequent targets, particularly over her progressive political positions, criticism of Israel and outspoken opposition to his immigration policies.
Trump and senior administration officials have also repeatedly criticized Minnesota's large Somali American community, of which Omar is a member.
Trump vs. Omar and Tlaib: ‘They should be sent back where they came from’
(Photo: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP, REUTERS/KEVIN LAMARQUE)
Earlier this year, the administration launched a major immigration enforcement operation in the region involving ICE agents. Omar and her allies accused Trump of employing anti-Somali and anti-Muslim rhetoric, while the congresswoman described the president's repeated focus on her as a disturbing and unhealthy obsession.
The confrontation intensified in February, when Trump said Omar and Tlaib should be institutionalized and sent back to the places they came from.
The remarks followed criticism of the president by the two lawmakers during his State of the Union address, in which he praised his administration's restrictive immigration policies and enforcement operations.
Omar has repeatedly said that she and her family face death threats, which she attributes to hateful political rhetoric, particularly statements made by Trump.
The security concerns have also been accompanied by physical attacks.
Last month, a Minnesota man was sentenced to 14 months in prison after being convicted of spraying Omar with vinegar during a public appearance.
The attacker, Anthony James Kazmierczak, acknowledged that he targeted the congresswoman because he disagreed with her progressive political views.
An extraordinary raid weeks before US elections
The search comes at a particularly sensitive moment in American politics, with congressional midterm elections scheduled for November 3.
The Justice Department traditionally follows guidelines intended to prevent investigative actions from improperly influencing elections, particularly when candidates for public office are involved.
CNN noted that searching the residence of a sitting member of Congress just weeks before an election is an exceptionally unusual step.
The operation also follows renewed attacks by Trump on other Muslim Democrats who have criticized Israel.
Last week, the president targeted Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for Michigan's US Senate seat, while endorsing his Republican opponent, Mike Rogers.
Trump described El-Sayed as a radical extremist and a sympathizer of terrorism. El-Sayed has also been an outspoken critic of Israel and has accused it of committing genocide in Gaza.
Omar's criticism of Israel and the 2019 entry ban
Omar has been among the most outspoken critics of Israel in the Democratic Party, taking positions that have repeatedly generated controversy both in Washington and Jerusalem.
Even before the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack and the subsequent war in Gaza, she supported the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, known as BDS, which campaigns for economic and political pressure on Israel.
She has also compared Israel's treatment of Palestinians to South Africa's former apartheid system and accused Israel of genocide in Gaza.
During her first term in Congress, Omar faced criticism from members of her own party over statements about American support for Israel that many interpreted as antisemitic.
One particularly contentious episode involved her suggestion that American politicians supported Israel because of financial contributions from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, known as AIPAC.
In 2019, Israel barred Omar and Tlaib from entering the country, a decision that drew criticism even from prominent supporters of Israel within the Democratic Party.
Monday's search now places Omar at the center of another major political confrontation. Federal authorities have confirmed that a criminal investigation is underway, but have not disclosed its precise scope or announced charges against the congresswoman.