Obama-era FBI probe into Ilhan Omar reveals new details amid marriage fraud allegations
WASHINGTON, DC: Amid the heightened scrutiny around alleged marriage fraud against House Representative Ilhan Omar, a new report claims that former President Barack Obama’s administration had found some evidence against her.
Omar is facing a Department of Justice and Homeland Security investigation centered on marriage and immigration fraud.
Obama-era FBI reportedly found evidence of marriage fraud against Omar
A New York Times report published early on Thursday, October 29, claimed that former President Barack Obama's administration investigated Rep Ilhan Omar in 2016 and found evidence that her marriage may have been fraudulent.
The report, citing current and former officials, claimed that prosecutors declined to pursue a felony marriage fraud case against Omar because the five-year statute of limitations had expired.
President Donald Trump's administration has launched its own investigation into Omar's history, a move Obama called "appalling" in an X post on October 18.
"It is a basic principle of American democracy that the government can’t selectively target individuals simply because of their political beliefs or what they say. But that’s exactly what the Trump Administration is doing to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota," Obama wrote.
It is a basic principle of American democracy that the government can’t selectively target individuals simply because of their political beliefs or what they say. But that’s exactly what the Trump Administration is doing to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. To understand why this is so appalling, it’s important to know the facts. Congresswoman Omar came to this country with her father when she was 12 years old. Five years later, her father became a naturalized citizen. If Ilhan had been 18 at the time, she would have had to apply for citizenship separately. But because she was 17, she became a naturalized citizen automatically. Congresswoman Omar went on to graduate from college, work as a community organizer, become the first Somali-American legislator elected to public office in the U.S., and win a seat in Congress. There, she has been one of the Trump Administration’s fiercest critics, which has led the president to repeatedly single her out as someone who he believes does not belong in this country. Now the Administration is actively trying to deport Congresswoman Omar, seemingly based solely on the unsubstantiated theory that she was actually 18 when her father was naturalized, and therefore is not a citizen. Federal agents have raided her home, confiscated personal records, and seized her phone — all to try and uncover a nonexistent smoking gun from 20 years ago that will somehow make their case. Think about that. The full weight of the federal government is being brought down on a law-abiding elected official because she has dared to criticize the president. And it’s not the first time this has happened. Under President Trump, the Justice Department has repeatedly gone after those he considers his political enemies — from the Attorney General of New York, to the former head of the FBI, to members of the Federal Reserve. In those cases, the prosecutions either stalled or were dismissed for having no basis in law, and the same is likely to happen in this case. But not before Congresswoman Omar’s life has been turned upside down, her legal bills have piled up, and she’s been forced to spend time fighting unsubstantiated charges instead of serving the people of Minnesota. The fact that any president, or any administration, is willing to engage in such transparent efforts to intimidate someone should outrage all Americans, regardless of how they feel about Congresswoman Omar’s political views. Because if this becomes the new normal, there’s no reason to believe it will stop with her — or that future presidents, in either party, won’t do the same.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 18, 2026
Obama added that Omar came to the US with her father when she was 12. He said her father became a naturalized US citizen five years later. He added that she would have had to apply for citizenship separately if she had been 18 at the time, but because she was 17, she automatically became a naturalized citizen.
Omar has long faced allegations that she fraudulently married a man alleged to be her brother for immigration purposes. She has denied the allegations, calling them a right-wing conspiracy theory.
What the brother-marriage allegation against Ilhan Omar involves
The DOJ alleged that Omar’s real name is “Ilhan Nur Said Elmi,” and that she had married Ahmed Nur Said Elmi in 2009, who, per allegations, is her brother. The couple officially divorced in 2017. Omar has repeatedly denied the allegations that Elmi is her brother.
The allegation opens two potential legal issues against the congresswoman: federal law prohibits knowingly entering a marriage only to obtain a green card, and all 50 states prohibit siblings from marrying.
Omar’s then-husband reportedly obtained a provisional two-year green card after he married her in 2009.
Although he tried to obtain permanent residency, he abandoned the process after an agency demanded additional information about his marriage to Omar. Later, he moved to the United Kingdom from the United States.
