Ilhan Omar faces US citizenship probe after federal raid

Three informed sources said a raid carried out by US federal authorities earlier this week at the home of Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar was part of a broader investigation into her immigration documents.

The investigation reportedly centers on whether Omar, who was born in Somalia and has represented a Minnesota district since 2019, or her family members provided false information when entering the US as refugees in the mid-1990s or during their US naturalization process.

One source noted that the sealed warrant authorizing the early Monday search cited conspiracy, making false statements on immigration forms, and immigration fraud as possible crimes under investigation. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing nature of the probe.

A source familiar with the investigation told Reuters that one possible outcome could be stripping Omar of her US citizenship and deporting her—measures previously floated by President Donald Trump and the Secretary of Homeland Security.

The actions targeting Omar, a left-wing member of Congress who has long been singled out by Trump with personal and biased attacks, have renewed concerns that the Trump administration may use federal law enforcement to punish political opponents, especially with three weeks remaining before the midterm elections in which Omar is seeking re-election.

Omar has denied any wrongdoing and described the raid as an act of "political intimidation."

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration enforcement, referred questions to the Department of Justice. A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment on the investigation into Omar.

However, the spokesperson said in a statement that US citizenship "must be obtained legally and honestly," and that the Trump administration would pursue any case where the facts support denaturalization—the legal process of revoking citizenship acquired after birth.

Omar's spokesperson has not yet issued a comment.

Former immigration officials said denaturalization investigations are historically rare, and it is highly unusual for them to involve search warrants, as the government is typically already in possession of the relevant immigration records.

It remains unclear what evidence prosecutors presented to the federal judge who authorized the raid.

A coalition of 14 news organizations, including Reuters, asked a federal judge on Thursday to unseal records related to the search.

Omar was 12 years old when her family arrived in the US in 1995 after fleeing Somalia's civil war and spending years in a Kenyan refugee camp. She became a US citizen in 2000.

This background has been central to Omar's political rise and has made her a frequent target of criticism from her right-wing opponents.

Trump has repeatedly attacked her Somali heritage, Muslim faith, and Minnesota's Somali community.

Any US citizen can lose their citizenship if a judge finds it was obtained illegally or through deliberate concealment or misrepresentation of key facts.