Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has re-emerged in a brief video in which she insisted she would not be intimidated amid a federal investigation into her citizenship status.
The Democrat from Minnesota shared the minute-long video to social media on Tuesday night to thank her supporters for their donations and to ask for more, citing the 'challenging time' she is facing.
'Hi everyone, Ilhan here,' she began in the video taken as she was traveling inside a vehicle. 'I just wanted to say thank you so much for the support, for everyone who sent $5, $10, $20 - that goes a long way as we fight Trump and his administration for trying to intimidate me and so many people right before the midterm elections.
'We know that they're running scared,' Omar then claimed, before vowing: 'We're not going to be intimidated. We're not going to be silenced. We're not going to be scared.
'I'll be out there campaigning alongside all of you and making sure that we beat back all of this and that we win in the midterms - win the House, win the Senate and hold this administration accountable,' she continued.
'Thank you so much again and please continue to support us,' the congresswoman concluded, noting: 'It is going to be a very expensive and challenging time and so we appreciate whether you're able to send $5, $10, $20. Thank you.'
Omar's message came as federal officials say they have a 'strong case' to strip the congresswoman of her citizenship and deport her back to Somalia.
She had been born in Mogadishu, Somalia to an affluent family, who settled in the Washington DC suburbs before they moved to Minnesota as she entered high school. She then gained citizenship through her father in the year 2000.
Ilhan Omar re-emerged in a brief video on Tuesday in which she insisted she would not be intimidated amidst a federal investigation into her citizenship status. Source: @ilhanmn/TikTok
But federal authorities are now probing whether her father, Nur Omar Mohamed, changed her age on her citizenship application to indicate she was 17 years old instead of 18.
If she had been 18 years old when her father became a naturalized citizen, she would have been considered an adult and would have to pursue her own immigration process. If she was still 17, however, Omar would have qualified for citizenship automatically when her father's citizenship was approved.
As part of the investigation, Homeland Security Investigations agents were seen raiding the congresswoman's Washington home on October 12.
Federal agents seized her phone, passport and computer and even obtained DNA evidence, according to Fox News.
That DNA could now provide crucial evidence proving Omar married her brother to earn him a green card, a source told The New York Post.
Multiple other sources have said the evidence has given prosecutors a basis for federal charges against Omar over immigration fraud.
About a dozen people, including Omar's relatives, have also been subpoenaed as part of the investigation, and Omar's older sister, Sahra Noor, voluntarily spoke with federal investigators, three sources familiar with the investigation told Fox News Digital.
It is not clear what investigators asked Noor or how far the conversation went. Noor fled Somalia's civil war as a child, as Omar did, and now lives in Kenya but she has been in the US promoting her new book, 'Salt in the Snow: A Somali Immigrant Story.'
Homeland Security officers were seen raiding the congresswoman's Washington DC house last week as part of an investigation into her immigration status
Agents seized Omar's cellphone, notebooks, personal computers and her passport in the raid
Omar has not been charged with any crime and vehemently denies wrongdoing, insisting she is the victim of a politically motivated witch hunt.
But Border Czar Tom Homan declared in an interview with Fox News that investigators had assembled a 'strong case' against the Somali-born lawmaker.
Asked directly whether the investigation could result in Omar being denaturalized and deported, Homan confirmed that such an outcome was possible.
'Of course,' he replied, explaining that if someone lied during the naturalization process, there was an established legal procedure for revoking their citizenship.
'We've done it before, and it is a long, tedious process, but it's been done before,' Homan said.
'I've been involved with those investigations before, and certainly if the evidence points that way, yes, it could happen.'
Homan suggested investigators were increasingly confident in the evidence they had uncovered.
'I've been told we have a strong case,' he told Fox News on Saturday. 'We'll let the evidence see where it leads. She'll be held to the same standard you and I are held. If she violated law then she'd be held accountable.'
White House border czar Tom Homan warned that Omar could face denaturalization and deportation if investigators uncover immigration fraud, claiming the feds have a 'strong case'
The border czar also suggested that immigration fraud investigations were intended to send a wider warning about the consequences of breaking American immigration laws.
'Deterrence is a part of what this administration is doing,' he said, pointing to efforts to review refugee cases and pursue denaturalization proceedings.
But when pressed on whether federal authorities were investigating Omar for other possible offenses beyond immigration fraud, Homan refused to elaborate.
'I won't go there,' he replied.
US Attorney Jeanine Pirro, however, has previously said that her office will be conducting a probe of the congresswoman's financial disclosures.
Omar's 2025 filing had listed assets of between $6 million and $30 million shared with her husband before she amended it to a far smaller range, blaming accounting errors.
The House's own ethics watchdog had recommended dismissing allegations over the filings last month, a finding Omar's office has pointed to in her defense.
Omar's 2025 filing had listed assets of between $6 million and $30 million shared with her husband before she amended it to a far smaller range, blaming accounting errors. She and her husband Mynett are pictured in a photo shared to social media
She has also repeatedly rejected questions about her immigration status as 'absurd and offensive.'
Her legal team has now demanded the immediate return of property seized during the search, accusing the Justice Department of conducting an unlawful and politically motivated investigation.
Omar's attorneys insisted there was 'no legitimate basis for any suggestion that she has violated any law concerning her citizenship status.'
They also accused federal authorities of disregarding longstanding Justice Department practices intended to prevent investigative actions from influencing elections.
'This vindictive, retributive, and politically motivated criminal investigation into one of the President's chief congressional critics violates Representative Omar's constitutional rights and threatens the separation of powers,' they wrote.
Justice Department spokesperson Emily Covington rejected the accusations, describing the lawyers' letter as 'riddled with false allegations and inaccuracies.'
'Our attorneys and law enforcement partners complied with all court orders and legal obligations, as they always do,' she said.
Trump previously denied having any involvement in the investigation, telling reporters following the search: 'I think she's a terrible person, but that's really up to the DOJ.'