Federal agents conducted a pre-dawn search Monday at the Washington home of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) as part of an ongoing immigration probe, a DOJ spokesperson confirmed to Axios.
Why it matters: Searching Omar's home marks a substantial escalation of the Trump administration's fight with the outspoken progressive, who has condemned the immigration crackdown in her state.
Driving the news: Fox News first reported that Homeland Security Investigations agents conducted the search, citing a Justice Department statement.
- A DOJ spokesperson confirmed to Axios that DHS agents "executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the Department of Justice" as part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation.
- DHS referred Axios to the DOJ. Rep. Omar's office immediately responded to Axios' requests for comment.
- Last month, border czar Tom Homan confirmed an ongoing criminal probe into Omar, though he declined to offer details.
- Fox reported Monday that the search was tied to a fraud investigation into Omar's immigration paperwork. The Somali native came to the U.S. in 1995 as a 12-year-old refugee.
The intrigue: President Trump has made Minnesota's Somali community one of the most frequent targets of his anti-immigration rhetoric, and Omar the face of those attacks.
- Just last week, he called on Minnesotans to "fight back" against the state's Somalian population.
- He's also specifically demanded that Omar leave the country, or that she be deported.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional information.