Federal agents searched Rep. Ilhan Omar's home and subpoenaed relatives as part of an investigation reportedly aimed at revoking her citizenship and deporting her, amid a high legal bar for denaturalization.
Federal agents searched Rep. Ilhan Omar's Washington, D.C., residence this week and subpoenaed members of her family, part of an investigation that people familiar with the matter say is intended to build a case for stripping the Minnesota Democrat of her U.S. citizenship and ultimately deporting her.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that the probe centers on whether Omar or her late father, Nur Omar Mohamed, gave misleading information in the 1990s as the family sought legal status in the United States. Citing U.S. officials and others briefed on the inquiry, the Journal said investigators are examining whether Omar's age was changed on her citizenship paperwork to show she was 17 rather than 18 at the time of naturalization.
What the investigation is examining
Omar's father filled out and submitted her citizenship application on her behalf. Under the law in effect at the time, immigrants under 18 could derive U.S. citizenship automatically if both parents became citizens; the rule was changed in 2001 to require only one parent. If Omar had been 18, she would have had to apply for naturalization separately.
The Washington Post, citing two unnamed sources, reported that the question is whether her father misrepresented her age to make her eligible to derive citizenship through him. Omar and her family have long denied any wrongdoing, and no evidence of fraud has been presented publicly. The judicial search warrant used in the raid remains under seal.
Omar, who fled Somalia as a child and became a U.S. citizen in 2000, has served in Congress since 2019. She described the search of her home as "political intimidation" and said she would "not be silenced." On Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Jeanne Pirro said her office had opened "several investigations" into the congresswoman, who faces reelection next month.
The legal bar for denaturalization
Stripping a naturalized citizen of citizenship is rare and legally demanding. The Department of Justice must bring a civil or criminal case in federal court, and an independent federal judge must approve it.
In a civil denaturalization case, the government must show "clear, convincing, and unequivocal evidence" that citizenship was obtained illegally or through a willful misrepresentation of a material fact. A criminal case carries a higher burden — proof beyond a reasonable doubt — and a 10-year statute of limitations. In its 2017 ruling in Maslenjak v. United States, the Supreme Court unanimously held that only an illegal act that played a role in obtaining citizenship could support criminal denaturalization.
Legal experts note that an error in an immigration document does not by itself justify revocation. Even after denaturalization, removal is not automatic; a person who held a green card before naturalizing generally retains that status until a final order of removal is issued.
Political context
President Donald Trump and other administration officials have repeatedly raised the prospect of revoking Omar's citizenship, and Vice President JD Vance said in March that the White House was exploring "legal remedies" over her alleged immigration fraud. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin described the investigation as ongoing and rejected the characterization of it as political retribution.
After the raid, Trump denied involvement. "I've always found her to be totally crooked, personally," he said. "But that has nothing to do with me."
Prominent Democrats criticized the search of a sitting lawmaker's home, and Omar accused the president of weaponizing federal law enforcement. The timing — weeks before the midterm elections — has drawn scrutiny from both parties.
Sources: The Wall Street Journal, TIME, The Washington Post, Mediaite