US federal agents searched the home of a Democratic congresswoman and outspoken critic of President Donald Trump on Monday, the Department of Justice (DoJ) confirmed.
Officials from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the investigative arm of US immigration enforcement, were seen early on Monday morning outside the Washington home of Ilhan Omar.
"Today in the Washington, DC area, Homeland Security Investigations executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the Department of Justice," a DoJ spokesperson told the Reuters news agency in a statement which didn't specifically name Omar.
"This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal investigation."
Who is Ilhan Omar?
Omar, who came to the United States from Somalia as a child, was first elected to Congress in 2018 and is a member of the group of left-wing Democratic lawmakers known as "The Squad," who have been among Trump's most vocal opponents.
Omar represents a district including Minneapolis, home to one of the largest Somali communities in the US – a community which Trump has frequently targeted in racist outbursts.
He previously called Somalis "garbage" and said in February that Omar and Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan should be "institutionalized" and sent back to "where they came from."
Last week, Trump called Democratic candidate for US Senate from Michigan Abdul El Sayed a "RADICAL Extremist" and "Terrorist Sympathizer" while offering support for the Republican candidate, Mike Rogers
Democrats decry 'abuse of power'
House Democratic leaders condemned the search as an "abuse of power" by the Trump administration.
Omar said she will “not be silenced” and called the search of her home the “latest escalation” in President Donald Trump’s '‘intimidation" campaign.
Omar has called Trump's focus on her an "unhealthy and creepy obsession" said she and her family have faced death threats, which she attributes to "hateful political rhetoric" especially from Trump.
On Monday, Omar said she will "not be silenced" and called the search of her home the "latest escalation" in Trump's "intimidation" campaign.
No charges against Omar were announced in connection with Monday's search, but US media reported that the operation was linked to a criminal fraud investigation into immigration paperwork submitted on her behalf by her late father when she was a child.
The search comes just three weeks before midterm elections in which Trump's Republicans will be trying to defend their thin majorities in the US.
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Edited by: Wesley Rahn