Key facts
- Rep. Ilhan Omar's Washington D.C. home was searched by Homeland Security Investigations as part of a federal criminal investigation.
- The investigation reportedly centers on Omar's immigration paperwork from her childhood.
- Omar's office stated she has "done nothing wrong" and called the raid an "outrageous abuse of power."
- President Donald Trump denied involvement in the search.
- The search occurred weeks before the midterm elections, with early voting already underway in Minnesota.
Federal officers executed a search warrant early Monday morning at the Washington D.C. home of Rep. Ilhan Omar as part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the criminal investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, led the execution of the warrant, with assistance from the Department of Justice.
Sources familiar with the investigation indicated that the probe centers on Omar's immigration paperwork, documents dating back to her childhood and completed by her late father. Investigators are reportedly examining potential allegations of false statements and immigration fraud.
Omar's office released a statement calling the raid an "outrageous abuse of power and an unprecedented escalation in the weaponization of federal law enforcement to target political enemies." The statement asserted that Omar "has done nothing wrong" and that the action was "just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation" by President Trump.
President Trump, when asked about the raid, told reporters he "had nothing to do with" it, though he described Omar as "a terrible person" and "a totally crooked person." He added that the search "has nothing to do with me."
House Democratic leaders, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark, and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, issued a joint statement calling the search "deeply disturbing" and expressing concern about the "continued corrupt weaponization of the federal government against Donald Trump's adversaries." They noted the search occurred weeks before the midterm elections, with early voting already underway in Minnesota.
Border czar Tom Homan had previously stated in September that there was an "ongoing criminal investigation" into the congresswoman, though Omar had said at the time she had not been contacted.