WASHINGTON — Federal agents searched Rep. Ilhan Omar's home on Oct. 12, according to an official familiar with the matter.
Homeland Security Investigations agents conducted the early-morning raid at the Democratic congresswoman's DC-area residence. The purpose for the search wasn't immediately clear, but top Trump administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, have long accused the Minnesota lawmaker, who was born in Somalia and immigrated to the United States as a child refugee, of immigration fraud, which she denies.
The raid is a significant escalation of President Donald Trump's efforts to target his political opponents using the federal law enforcement apparatus. It also dramatically intensifies his years-long feud with Omar, a progressive Muslim whose religion and ethnicity Trump has frequently attacked.
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U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-MN, seen here at a forum held by the Democratic Women's Caucus in February on Capitol Hill, had here Washington, D.C. home searched by federal authorities early Monday morning.
The Department of Homeland Security referred USA TODAY to the Justice Department for comment. In a statement, the DOJ confirmed Homeland Security Investigations had "executed a judicially authorized search warrant" at a Washington-area home as "part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation."
Spokespeople for Omar did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Who is Ilhan Omar?
Omar was elected in President Trump’s first term during a blue wave in 2018. She was an original member of the progressive group dubbed the "Squad," which also included Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib. She became the first Somali American in Congress.
She also immediately drew Trump's ire. In July 2019, the summer after she won her House seat, a North Carolina campaign rally crowd chanted "send her back" after Trump repeatedly criticized the congresswoman. Earlier this year, in January, Trump without evidence accused Omar of staging a town hall attack during which an attendee sprayed her with apple cider vinegar.
Omar has drawn controversy on her own, too. In 2019, she sparked bipartisan backlash for now-deleted tweets about Israel that sparked claims of antisemitism.
An agent stands guard outside the residence of US Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), after federal authorities conducted a raid there as part of an ongoing Justice Department investigation.
Her marriage history has also been a subject of scrutiny, dating back to her time as a state lawmaker. Online Minnesota court and marriage records show Omar was married to Ahmed Elmi in February 2009 before their divorce in December 2017. She then married Ahmed Hirsi, the father of her three children, in January 2018.
In 2016, she told Minnesota Public Radio she was legally married and physically separated from another man (seemingly Elmi) who was living in England but married Hirsi in a Muslim ceremony. She told MPR that it was "a difficult part of my personal history that I did not consider relevant in the context of a political campaign."
She legally divorced Hirsi in November 2019. She married lobbyist Tim Mynett in March 2020.
