Federal law enforcement authorities searched the Washington, D.C.-area residence of Rep. Ilhan Omar early Monday as part of a criminal fraud inquiry focused on immigration paperwork, according to news reports and official statements.
Homeland Security Investigations special agents executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the Department of Justice, a DOJ spokesperson told Fox News Digital. The spokesperson confirmed the action was tied to an ongoing federal criminal investigation. The operation began around 6 a.m. on Monday, Fox News reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on the operation, CNBC reported.
Focus on childhood immigration records
Three people familiar with the matter told CBS News that the inquiry centers on immigration records dating back to Omar’s childhood, specifically forms completed by her late father. A person familiar with the situation told CNBC that the inquiry is complex and has been active for multiple years.
Omar, 44, was born in Somalia and arrived in the United States as a child. She became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2000 at age 17. The progressive Democrat was elected in November 2018 to represent Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, which encompasses Minneapolis. She and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., made history as the first two Muslim women elected to the U.S. Congress.
Homeland Security Investigations functions as the primary investigative branch of the Department of Homeland Security. Unlike immigration enforcement units focused on deportations, HSI special agents carry out criminal probes and execute warrants covering offenses such as benefit fraud, identity theft and document falsification, CBS News reported.
History of scrutiny and political disputes
The search comes weeks after border czar Tom Homan said publicly that Omar was the subject of an ongoing criminal inquiry, Fox News and CBS News reported. In September, Omar stated that federal investigators had not contacted her regarding any probe, according to CBS News.
In May, JD Vance announced that the Justice Department and federal immigration agencies were examining potential immigration fraud and family financial records, the New York Post reported.
Omar has long faced accusations from political opponents regarding her entry to the U.S. in 1995 and claims surrounding her 2009 marriage to British citizen Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, the New York Post reported. Omar has consistently rejected claims that Elmi was related to her, describing the accusations as baseless bigotry. The two divorced in 2017.
Questions have also been raised about Omar’s past tax filings and financial disclosures. In 2019, a Minnesota campaign finance panel determined she filed joint tax returns in 2014 and 2015 with Ahmed Hirsi before her legal divorce from Elmi, according to the New York Post. Recent financial disclosure filings also showed substantial revisions to estimated asset values between 2024 and 2025, Fox News reported.
No criminal charges or formal court filings have been brought against Omar to date. Her legal team and spokespeople have maintained that both her naturalization process and her financial filings comply fully with federal law, the New York Post reported. Representatives for Omar did not immediately release a formal statement regarding Monday’s search.
