Federal agents searched Rep. Ilhan Omar's Washington, D.C., home around 6 a.m. Monday as part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation. The search came 22 days before the midterm elections, in which the Minnesota Democrat is seeking reelection.
The Justice Department said HSI executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by federal prosecutors, according to NBC News. Tampa Free Press reported that HSI special agents were seen outside the residence, and The Hill also reported that HSI agents conducted the operation.
NBC News reported that the inquiry deals partly with immigration and fraud but extends beyond those topics. Separately, Tampa Free Press and CBS News reported that investigators are examining Omar's immigration paperwork, including childhood documents completed by her late father. Omar was born in Somalia and came to the United States as a refugee with her family before later becoming a U.S. citizen, according to the Tampa Free Press.
Omar Says She Won't Be Silenced
Omar has not been charged with a crime, and her office said she had done nothing wrong, describing the search as an outrageous abuse of power and an unprecedented escalation in the weaponization of federal law enforcement against political enemies, per the Tampa Free Press report. Omar posted a response to supporters on social media on Monday, saying, “I'm ok,” and adding, “I will not be silenced,” according to CBS News.
Omar also described the search as political intimidation. In the Tampa Free Press account, she said President Trump had targeted her with baseless lies and smear campaigns for ten years.
Earlier Warnings From Homan Preceded the Search
The search did not come entirely out of nowhere. Tom Homan said on Fox News last month that Omar was under an active federal inquiry and that a matter had been reported and needed to be looked at, while Omar said at the time that federal officials had never reached out or contacted her about any investigation, according to NBC Washington.
HSI, the Department of Homeland Security's criminal investigative arm, is conducting the probe alongside the Justice Department, according to the Tampa Free Press. CBS News reported that HSI agents investigate criminal matters including identity and document fraud, cross-border crime and immigration benefit fraud.
Democratic Leaders Call Raid a Red Flag
House Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar criticized the search in a joint statement, calling it deeply disturbing and saying it raises serious questions about the continued corrupt weaponization of the federal government against Donald Trump's adversaries, according to the Democratic Leadership's statement.
No criminal charges have been filed in connection with the inquiry, and the search comes as Omar heads into the final stretch of a reelection campaign that, per ABC News, reaches the ballot box in just over three weeks.
Enforcement and election context
ICE’s archived FY19 achievements page reported 2,198 HSI criminal arrests in its Document and Benefit Fraud section, nearly 75 percent more than in FY18. The agency’s FY 2024 Annual Report says HSI made over 800 arrests for identity and benefit fraud, with those investigations resulting in 528 indictments and 315 convictions. These agency-wide figures provide enforcement context, but do not establish anything about the investigation involving Omar, according to ICE’s FY19 page and its FY 2024 Annual Report. The Associated Press reported that the Justice Department has historically sought to avoid public investigative actions involving candidates within 60 days of an election. That practice is relevant context for a search occurring 22 days before Election Day, but does not by itself establish whether this search was improper, according to The Associated Press.
