Homeland Security agents searched Representative Ilhan Omar’s Washington, D.C., home on Monday, marking a significant escalation in federal scrutiny of the Minnesota Democrat. The reason for the search remains unclear. The DOJ said the warrant is connected with an ongoing federal criminal investigation but did not identify the probe's target or specify potential offenses.
The search, however, follows months of federal scrutiny concerning the Minnesota Democrat's immigration history. Last month, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said authorities were examining Omar’s immigration history, including the long-running allegation that she married her brother to help him enter the U.S. Omar has repeatedly denied the allegation, which has not been substantiated.
"There may be more to this, the whole family migration and possibly some illegal activity for them to come to the United States to begin with,” Mullin said. Earlier in the year, Vice President JD Vance said that the DOJ was investigating Omar, again over alleged immigration fraud. These comments came as fraud in Minnesota became a national topic, and after Omar had been faced with accusations of involvement in the “Feeding Our Future” scandal, in which a nonprofit secured $250 million in federal reimbursements by lying about pandemic-era activities.
Omar, 44, has represented Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District since 2019, having secured 78 percent of the vote over Republican candidate Jennifer Zielinski in 2018. Prior to this, Omar served in Minnesota’s State House of Representatives. She currently serves on several House committees including the House Budget Committee and the committee on Education and the Workforce.
Since entering Congress, Omar has cultivated a reputation as one of the most outspoken progressives in her party, and is a member of “The Squad”—an unofficial group of four female Democratic lawmakers elected in 2018, which includes Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. Omar was born in Somalia but fled the country when she was 8 years old, later becoming the first ever Somali American elected to Congress. However, her heritage and journey to national prominence have made her a target of Republican attacks during her political career, including from President Donald Trump.
Trump was criticized during his first term for saying that Democratic congresswomen should “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime-infested places from which they came.” In November 2025, Trump posted to Truth Social that Omar should “go back!” in response to a video of her speaking at an event in Somalia. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Daniel Orton and Geoffrey Rowland.
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