A predawn raid on Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar's home by federal agents stemmed from an expanding investigation into her US immigration paperwork, three people familiar with the case said this week. The investigation appears to centre on whether the Somali-born Omar, who has represented a Minnesota district since 2019, or her relatives gave false information upon entering the US as refugees in the mid-1990s or during the process of becoming American citizens.
The sealed warrant for Monday's search listed conspiracy, false statements on immigration paperwork and immigration fraud as potential crimes being investigated, one of the people familiar with the matter said. Like the other people, they spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.
The targeting of a left-wing member of Congress whom Trump has long attacked in personal and bigoted terms has renewed concerns that his administration is using federal law enforcement to punish his political opponents, especially three weeks before an election when Omar is running to retain her seat.
Omar has denied wrongdoing, characterising the raid as an act of "political intimidation." The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the immigration enforcement agency, referred questions to the Justice Department. A DOJ spokesperson declined to comment on the Omar investigation.
But in a statement, the spokesperson said that US citizenship "must be obtained lawfully and honestly" and the Trump administration would investigate any case where the facts support denaturalisation, the legal process of revoking citizenship that was acquired after birth. A spokesperson for Omar had no immediate comment.
Former immigration officials said denaturalisation investigations have historically been rare, and it is extremely unusual for them to involve search warrants, as the government should already have the relevant immigration records. "Most of the denaturalisation cases that we engaged in related either to very serious international human rights violations, or very serious crimes, such as Nazi war criminals," said Kerry Doyle, a former deputy general counsel in the Department of Homeland Security during the Biden administration.
Agents with Homeland Security Investigations, a branch of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, seized Omar's personal cell phone during the search, according to two of the sources. Federal prosecutors also issued more than a dozen subpoenas, including to at least one of Omar's relatives, the two people said.
One of the people said a sister of Omar spoke voluntarily with federal agents. It was unclear what evidence prosecutors presented to the federal magistrate judge who approved the raid.
The DOJ has traditionally refrained from investigative acts against political figures that are likely to become public within 60 days of an election, particularly if the evidence can be collected after votes are cast. Omar's status as a sitting member of Congress made the timing all the more unusual, and the probe potentially more fraught.
Courts have ruled that federal authorities cannot review material related to the legislative acts of a member of Congress, which is protected under the US Constitution. Before approving the search, US Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh ordered screening procedures to prevent such a review.