Federal authorities investigating Minnesota U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar have seized her phone and issued more than a dozen grand jury subpoenas, including to some of her relatives, according to reports. The moves escalate a probe into her immigration paperwork as President Donald Trump renews attacks on her citizenship just weeks before the midterm elections.
The latest developments come two days after federal agents searched the Democrat's Washington, D.C.-area home and a day after Washington, D.C., U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro confirmed a separate investigation into the congresswoman’s financial disclosures, as Newsweek previously reported.
The Department of Justice told Newsweek that the October 12 search was part of “an ongoing federal criminal investigation” and confirmed that Homeland Security Investigations agents had executed a judicially authorized search warrant in Washington.
Newsweek reached out to Omar’s campaign for comment via email Wednesday night.
What We Know About the Ilhan Omar Investigation
The subpoenas were issued by a grand jury gathering evidence in Minnesota as federal authorities investigate potential fraud involving Omar’s immigration paperwork, according to a person briefed on the probe who spoke to the Associated Press (AP) on condition of anonymity.
The investigation led federal agents to search Omar’s Washington-area residence.
The scope of the probe remains unclear, though Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has suggested that authorities are examining potential crimes related to Omar’s family immigration paperwork, according to the AP. Omar has not been publicly charged with a crime in connection with the investigation.
On Tuesday, Pirro said that “there are several investigations going on” related to Omar, confirming that her office was also investigating the congresswoman’s financial disclosures.
“If there was a crime that was committed, it will be prosecuted,” Pirro said in an interview with Fox News.
Authorities have not publicly established if the financial investigation and immigration-related criminal probe are connected.
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Trump Renews Attacks as Questions About Omar’s Citizenship Resurface
The investigations come amid renewed attacks from Trump, who has repeatedly questioned Omar’s background and called for scrutiny of her immigration history.
At a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, on Monday, the president criticized Omar’s Somali origins and questioned her right to invoke the U.S. Constitution.
“She’s a disaster. She comes in from a country without laws, without police, without military,” Trump said, prompting members of the crowd to chant “deport.”
On Tuesday, Trump called Omar a “terrible person” and a “terrible congresswoman.” He also declined to take a position on whether he wanted her deported.
Omar arrived in the United States as a refugee and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2000. She has represented Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District since 2019 and is seeking reelection in November.
The administration’s scrutiny of her immigration history has centered in part on a longstanding allegation that she married her brother to facilitate his entry into the United States. Omar has repeatedly denied the claim, which remains unproven.
Constitutional law professor Jonathan Turley said earlier Wednesday that Omar could face denaturalization if the government proves she provided false information that affected her eligibility for citizenship.
“The U.S. government’s position has always been that if you have information there that is untrue, where you would not have been made a citizen, then you can be denaturalized,” Turley said during a Fox News interview. He added that the standard of proof in denaturalization cases is high.
Omar Calls Search 'Political Intimidation' Ahead of Midterms
Omar condemned the search of her home, accusing the Trump administration of using federal law enforcement to target political opponents.
“Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement,” Omar wrote on X.
“For 10 years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation. I will not be silenced,” she added.
The search comes less than three weeks before the November midterm elections, drawing criticism from top Democrats, who called the raid “deeply disturbing.”
“For years, Donald Trump and far-right extremists have relentlessly targeted Congresswoman Omar with vile personal attacks and baseless accusations,” an October 12 joint statement from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other top congressional Democrats reads.
“Now, less than 30 days until the midterm election, his violent mass deportation machine has descended upon the home of a duly elected Member of Congress and her family.”
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Anna Commander and Edward T. Cummins