Following months of hints she is a target, an investigation unit from the Department of Homeland Security raided Rep. Ilhan Omar’s residence in Washington, D.C. early Monday morning.
DHS has provided little information about the specific purpose of the raid, even in media leaks, except for a Department of Justice statement to Fox News. It states that a search warrant was served at Omar’s residence as part of an “ongoing federal investigation.”
According to the Fox News story, the DOJ later stated the investigation is “criminal” in nature, and a source told the cable news outlet Omar's immigration paperwork is under scrutiny.
In May, Vice President JD Vance told reporters Omar was being investigated for immigration fraud.
Omar, 44, was first elected to Congress in 2018. She represents Minnesota’s 5th District, which has the largest Somali American population in the U.S.
A native of Somalia, she was reportedly 12 years old when her father brought her to the United States as a refugee fleeing civil war. She says she became a naturalized U.S. citizen at the age of 17.
There are several possible reasons authorities are investigating Rep. Omar for immigration fraud.
One is a longtime allegation she married her own brother in an immigration fraud scheme.
A second possibility, mentioned briefly in the Fox News story, is fraud involving the original immigration paperwork signed by her late father. That vague reference appears to be related to the longtime allegation she and her family used a second Somali family to apply for asylum and used their surname, Omar.
All of those allegations, and others, have been denied by Omar and disputed by fact-checkers such as Snopes.
Pirro: Omar's finances under investigation
The congresswoman also raised eyebrows when her mandatory financial disclosure reported millions of dollars in assets, as much as $30 million, in 2024. A 2025 disclosure report showed assets of no more than $125,000.
On Tuesday, a day after the DHS raid, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said her office is investigating those financial disclosures.
The state of Minnesota has become a lightning rod for rampant fraud allegations in recent years, such as the Feeding our Future fraud scheme. To date, more than 60 people have been sentenced for taking part in the theft of $250 million in federal funds, and that is just one of many schemes alleged in recent years.
Daily Wire: Omar is 'well-known' fraudster
Luke Rosiak, a Daily Wire investigative reporter, has tied Omar’s sister, Sahra Noor, to the Feeding our Future scheme. Noor has operated numerous businesses, including a consulting firm, and Rosiak has learned the address of that questionable firm is the same one used by some Feeding Our Future fraudsters.
After the DHS raid Monday, Rosiak wrote on X that Rep. Omar’s fraud is “well-known” among the Somali population, “but lying to the enemy (Americans) is so widespread in their culture that it took persistence.”
In a related X post, Rosiak also stated as fact - without any hedging - that the congresswoman married her brother using a church pastor because an imam would have known they were siblings.
Reacting to the DHS raid, Lawfare Project attorney Gerard Filitti told AFR he is waiting for more specific information about the immigration fraud allegation. If the issue is Omar's asylum claim to enter the United States, that allegation would fall to her late father, he said.
“If that's what the government is aiming for, it's going to be a very tough challenge,” Filitti told show host Jenna Ellis.
On the the topic of Democrats whining and complaining, Filitti was much less forgiving. Democrats have openly cheered the criminal investigations of Trump, he pointed out, but now are claiming "lawfare" against Rep. Omar.
"There was enough evidence that was presented to a federal judge to sign off on a warrant," he stressed. "You don't do that lightly when you're a judge, especially for a sitting member of Congress."
Back on X, Rosiak credited several news reporters for pursuing Omar's history of alleged fraud. Those articles date back to a Powerline articles from 2018.
"To be clear: The facts describe perhaps the most extensive spree of illegal misconduct committed by a House member in American history," David Steinberg wrote in a 2019 article.
Snopes, the fact-checking website, has repeatedly disputed Powerline's reporting.
