United States federal agents have searched the Washington, DC home of Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, a Muslim and a prominent critic of President Donald Trump, as part of an investigation that one source said was linked to alleged immigration fraud. The predawn raid on Monday came three weeks before the US midterm elections on November 3, in which Omar is seeking a fifth term representing Minnesota’s 5th congressional district. Omar called the raid an attempt to “weaponise federal law enforcement”, while top Democrats said the timing raised “serious questions”.
So why has the search caused such alarm? Here’s what we know: Agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), part of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), executed what the US Department of Justice called a “judicially authorised search warrant”. The department said only that it was part of “an ongoing federal investigation”.
The street around Omar’s home was blocked off on Monday morning, and agents were seen removing boxes labelled “Seized Property Evidence”. Hours later, Trump told reporters he had “nothing to do” with the search, saying it was “really up to the DOJ [Justice Department]”. However, a person described as familiar with the investigation told the news agency that it relates to alleged immigration fraud, and that part of it concerns paperwork filled out by Omar’s late father when she was a child.
Omar fled Somalia’s civil war with her family when she was aged eight. According to her House biography, the family spent four years in a refugee camp in Kenya before moving to the United States in the 1990s. She became a citizen in 2000.
Conservative websites have for years alleged that she “married her brother” to commit immigration fraud, claims Omar has dismissed as “disgusting lies”. US Vice President JD Vance said in March, without offering evidence, that the administration believed Omar “definitely committed immigration fraud”. Her office called the claim fabricated and defamatory.
Last month, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told conservative podcaster Benny Johnson that “something’s going to happen” in the case. Justice Department policy usually avoids taking any action whose timing would appear to affect an election or benefit a candidate or party. In practice, therefore, the department has historically avoided overt investigative steps against candidates within about 60 days of a vote.
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