DOJ seizes Ilhan Omar’s phone during raid, subpoenas family members in immigration fraud probe

WASHINGTON, DC: Federal agents on Monday, October 12, seized a cellphone belonging to Democratic Rep Ilhan Omar during a search of her Washington, DC, home, as part of a criminal investigation into potential immigration-related offenses.

Investigators have also issued roughly a dozen subpoenas, including to family members, as they examine questions about her immigration paperwork and the age at which she became a US citizen. Homeland Security Investigations, the US attorney’s office in Minneapolis, and the Justice Department are conducting the investigation. Omar has firmly denied any wrongdoing. 

Federal investigators examine Ilhan Omar’s immigration history

The investigation is examining whether Omar or members of her family made false statements in immigration documents, including information concerning her age and birth date. Federal officials have considered potential charges involving conspiracy and making false statements in immigration paperwork, according to a report on the investigation by NBC.

Omar was born in Somalia and moved to the United States with her family in the 1990s. She became a naturalized US citizen in 2000, reportedly at age 17, which made her eligible to obtain citizenship through her father’s naturalization.

Investigators are examining whether the age recorded in her immigration application differed from her actual birth date. Questions about the discrepancy resurfaced after Omar’s congressional staff contacted a Minnesota public library months after she took office to request a change to her birth year in historical records, from 1981 to 1982. 

Authorities are also reviewing documents submitted by Omar’s late father, Nur Omar Mohamed, concerning his application to enter the United States and whether statements in those filings were truthful. Roughly a dozen subpoenas were issued last week, in connection with the investigation, including requests for information from family members. However, Omar herself was not subpoenaed.

The subpoenas are connected to a federal grand jury in Minnesota, Omar’s home state. The investigation reportedly involves whistleblowers, documents and witness testimony.

Ilhan Omar accuses Trump administration of political intimidation

Omar has strongly rejected any allegations of wrongdoing and accused the Trump administration of weaponizing federal law enforcement against its political opponents.

“For a decade, Donald Trump has relentlessly targeted Congresswoman Ilhan Omar with inflammatory rhetoric, repeatedly putting a target on her back,” her office said in a statement. “Now, those attacks have escalated to a pointless federal raid. The Congresswoman has done nothing wrong. “No president should be able to use the power of the federal government to intimidate his political enemies.”

Her husband, Tim Mynett, also expressed confidence when asked about the investigation. “My wife came here when she was 12 years old as a child war refugee,” Mynett told Fox News Digital this week. “No concerns.”

Trump on Monday said that the federal government was looking at Omar “very carefully” when asked whether he knew about the search in advance. He also criticized the congresswoman’s views and her comments about the US Constitution.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin had previously suggested that federal action involving Omar could follow, while saying investigators were still examining the case. “If we actually move a case forward, it’s not a political case,” Mullin said, arguing that any action would be based on alleged violations of the law.