Federal agents took Rep. Ilhan Omar’s phone when they searched her Washington, D.C., home on Monday, as part of a criminal investigation into her family’s immigration paperwork, according to NBC News. Two people familiar with the case told the network that roughly a dozen subpoenas have gone out.
The search
Agents from Homeland Security Investigations, the main investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, arrived around 6 a.m. Fox News reported that the Department of Justice was also involved. A DOJ spokesperson said HSI “executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the Department of Justice” as part of an ongoing federal investigation, and the department later called it criminal. The White House and DHS declined to comment.
Two sources told Fox the search stems from a fraud inquiry into paperwork that Omar’s late father filled out when she was a child. Her family fled Somalia, and her father, Nur Omar Mohamed, brought them to the United States from a Kenyan refugee camp in 1995. Omar became a citizen more than 25 years ago.
Subpoenas and possible charges
One of NBC’s sources said the possible charges cited by federal officials include conspiracy and making false statements in immigration paperwork. The subpoenas, issued Friday, are tied to a federal grand jury in Minnesota and include family members. Omar herself was not subpoenaed. Agents also want to speak to her sister but had not reached her. The New York Times first reported the subpoenas.
The probe involves whistleblowers, documents and witness testimony, the source said, and looks at matters around her immigration status, including her birthdate. She was naturalized at 17, so she could receive citizenship through a parent. The detail that matters for prosecutors is the clock. The statute of limitations is typically five years, though investigators could examine more recent actions by Omar or her relatives.
The timing is awkward. The search came three weeks before the midterms, inside the window when the Justice Department has typically avoided overt moves in criminal cases that could affect an election. Seizing a sitting member’s phone would also normally trigger protocols meant to protect the Constitution’s “speech or debate” clause.
Reaction
Omar wrote on X that the raid was “an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement,” adding, “I will not be silenced.” A later post from her official account called it “an outrageous abuse of power” and said the congresswoman “has done nothing wrong.” CAIR-Minnesota planned a rally in her support on Monday afternoon.
Asked Monday whether he knew in advance, President Trump said the government was looking at Omar “very carefully” and called her “a terrible person, but that’s really up to the DOJ.” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin had said last month that “something’s going to happen” with her. Border czar Tom Homan said in mid-September that she was under a criminal investigation, without giving details.
On Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the administration aimed to use the probe to build a case to revoke her citizenship and deport her. Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who once called for Omar to be sent back, wrote on X that she and Omar are far apart on policy. She asked how deporting Omar would lower gas prices or make health insurance affordable.
Sources
- Federal agents raid Ilhan Omar’s DC home amid immigration fraud investigation
- 'Tired Of The Bulls**t': MTG Slams 'Dumb Mf'ers At The WH' Over Ilhan Omar Raid
- Feds seized Rep. Ilhan Omar’s phone, subpoenaed family members in immigration status probe
