US federal probe examines Ilhan Omar’s citizenship over alleged immigration fraud - report

Federal investigators are examining whether Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar obtained US citizenship through fraud, potentially laying the groundwork to revoke her citizenship and seek her deportation, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

The newspaper, citing officials and other people familiar with the investigation, said authorities are reviewing the Somalia-born congresswoman’s immigration history and family records.

The report follows a federal search of Omar’s Washington, D.C., home roughly six weeks before the midterm elections, in which she is seeking re-election. The Justice Department described the search as “part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation.”

According to the Journal, the inquiry concerns suspected immigration fraud, including possible false statements on government documents and a potential criminal conspiracy. Those suspicions have not been established as fact.

One question under investigation is whether Omar or her late father misrepresented her age when she became a US citizen in 2000, identifying her as a minor when she may have been an adult, the newspaper reported. Omar arrived in the United States as a refugee at about age 12, according to people familiar with her background.

Federal agents seized her mobile phone, notebooks, personal computers and a passport during the search, according to people familiar with the operation. Omar and her husband were the only people home at the time, the Journal said.

Omar condemned the search Monday, describing it as an attempt by the Trump administration to intimidate its political opponents. In a statement responding to the operation, she accused the administration of using federal law enforcement to target political adversaries and vowed to speak out.