The Justice Department confirmed a court-authorized search by Homeland Security Investigations, and Omar’s office says she has done nothing wrong
Federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations searched the Washington, D.C.-area home of Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota early Monday, in what the Justice Department called part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation, CBS News reported.
Unnamed sources told the outlet the probe centers on immigration paperwork completed by Omar’s late father when she was a child. Omar’s office said she had done nothing wrong, and Omar called the search an attempt to target political enemies.
What the Justice Department Confirmed
The search began around 6 a.m., and multiple agents in HSI jackets were seen outside the home, a source told Fox News Digital.
A Justice Department spokesperson confirmed it in a statement to Fox News Digital: “Homeland Security Investigations executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the Department of Justice.”
In a statement to HuffPost, the spokesperson added: “This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation.”
The department would not give any details about the justification for the probe, HuffPost reported. The Department of Homeland Security and the White House deferred to the Justice Department for comment.
What Sources Say the Investigation Involves
Two sources close to the investigation told Fox News Digital that the search stems from a criminal fraud investigation into Omar’s immigration paperwork. That paperwork was filled out by her late father when she was a child, the sources said.
CBS News, citing its own sources, said the documents in question date back to Omar’s childhood. The Justice Department has not publicly described what the investigation concerns, and no evidence behind the warrant has been made public.
HSI, the criminal investigative arm of DHS, is leading the investigation with the Justice Department assisting, according to CBS News. The unit sits within Immigration and Customs Enforcement and has jurisdiction over offenses including immigration document fraud, identity fraud and immigration benefit fraud.
Unlike ICE’s deportation operations, CBS noted, HSI special agents conduct criminal investigations and execute federal search warrants.
White House border czar Tom Homan declined to discuss the specifics during a Monday appearance on Fox News.
“The specifics of the investigation, I think I need to turn that over to Todd Blanche or Markwayne Mullin,” Homan said, according to HuffPost.
What Could Come Next
Omar came to the United States as a refugee in 1995 and has held U.S. citizenship for 26 years, HuffPost reported.
In a September interview, Homan said a denaturalization process exists for cases of proven immigration fraud. If the government can prove someone lied or misrepresented themselves to become a citizen, he said, “we can absolutely denaturalize them.”
A federal prosecutor told Fox News Digital that the statute of limitations could hinder an investigation into critics’ allegation that Omar married her brother in 2009, a claim she denies.
HuffPost also reported that the search, inside the 60-day window before the November midterm elections, appears to break with standard Justice Department practice of avoiding such steps involving political candidates close to an election.
Months of Allegations Before the Search
In mid-September, Homan said on the Fox News program *The Sunday Briefing* that HSI was investigating allegations involving Omar. He declined to say whether the government had evidence of immigration or naturalization fraud.
“I know things are going on, but I can’t give specifics of what’s happening,” Homan said.
He added: “If someone committed an immigration violation, if someone committed marriage fraud or anything like that, regardless if they’re a congressman or not, no one’s above the law.”
Days later, Omar said federal authorities had not contacted her. Asked by Fox News Digital whether DHS had reached out about any investigation, she replied, “No, they have not.”
Critics have long alleged that Omar married her brother as part of an immigration scheme. Omar has repeatedly denied it, and Fox News reported that the claim has not been proven in public records. In December, she called the allegations “bigoted lies.”
Senior administration officials have repeated the allegation publicly. Vice President JD Vance said in a March podcast interview, “We think Ilhan Omar definitely committed immigration fraud against the United States of America.” In May, Vance said the Justice Department was looking into the matter.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin has also claimed on a podcast that Omar married her brother. He said that if the government could prove she should not have been in the country to begin with, it would deport her. No such finding has been made public.
Ilhan Omar and House Democrats Respond
Omar posted on social media Monday that she was OK, and accused Trump of using federal law enforcement against his opponents.
“Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement,” Omar wrote.
“For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation,” she continued. “I will not be silenced.”
Omar’s spokeswoman, Jackie Rogers, called the search an outrageous abuse of power in a statement to HuffPost.
“The Congresswoman has done nothing wrong. No president should be able to use the power of the federal government to intimidate his political enemies,” Rogers said.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar called the search deeply disturbing, CBS News reported. They said it “raises serious questions about the continued corrupt weaponization of the federal government against Donald Trump’s adversaries.”
Featured image: file photos. Left: usicegov, unrelated to the search of Omar’s home. Right: Kristie Boyd; U.S. House Office of Photography. Both public domain, via Wikimedia Commons