The raid was conducted as part of a criminal fraud investigation into Omar’s immigration paperwork, which was filled out by her late father.
Federal authorities raided the Washington, D.C., area home of Rep. Ilhan Omar in the early hours of Monday morning.
The raid was conducted as part of a criminal fraud investigation into the Minnesota Democrat's immigration paperwork, which was filled out by her late father when she was a child, Fox News reported, citing a source familiar with the case.
Born in Somalia and brought to the United States at age 12, Omar became a U.S. citizen in 2000 at the age of 17. However, she has still received criticism from President Donald Trump throughout her time in Congress.
The raid of the congresswoman’s home began around 6 a.m. on Monday, which was led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
HIS is the main investigative arm of DHS. It deals in investigations of cross-border crime and global threats, including human trafficking, child sexual exploitation, drug smuggling, and cybercrime.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is also involved in the investigation and confirmed its role to Fox News.
“Today in the Washington, D.C., area, Homeland Security Investigations executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the Department of Justice. This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal investigation,” the DOJ told Fox News in a statement.
The DOJ later added that the investigation was “criminal” in nature, the outlet reported, though the exact nature of the warrant remains unclear.
Omar is currently running for reelection and the search warrant was executed only weeks before the midterms.
Omar has been representing Minnesotas 5th Congressional District in the House of Representatives since 2019. She was the first African refugee to become a member of Congress, the first woman of color to stand for Minnesota, and one of the first two Muslim-American women to be elected to Congress.
Rep. Omar is up for re-election on November 3rd. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) Trump and multiple allies have accused Omar and her family of immigration fraud throughout her time in Congress.
In May, the president spoke at length about Somalia, Somali immigrants, and Omar’s immigration process while at an event. He called her a “phony” and claimed that she married her brother to get him United States citizenship, a claim which has never been substantiated.
Trump went on to say that Omar may be under federal investigation, although he was not involved with it.
“I would imagine they're looking at her," he said at the event, according to WCIV. "Isn't she despicable? We ought to get those people the hell out of our country."
U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar has yet to make an official statement on the raid this morning. (Jim Vondruska/Getty Images) Both Vice President JD Vance and “border czar” Tom Homan have publicly expressed their belief that Omar has committed fraud and alluded to an investigation underway, according to The Guardian.
Omar has repeatedly denied claims of fraud and pushed back against claims that she married her brother, calling them “absolutely false and ridiculous” in an interview with The Guardian lat year.
“Everybody knows I came to the United States at the age of 12 on a refugee status and became a citizen when I was 17 and obviously I’m a duly elected member of Congress and so my status is not in question in any kind of way,” she stated.
Realtor.com reached out to Omar and the DOJ for a statement on the raid but received no response.