(The Center Square) – White House border czar Tom Homan said over the weekend that federal investigators have a “strong case” against U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar.
These comments come less than a week after Homeland Security Investigations searched the Minnesota Democrat’s Washington, D.C., home. Reports have linked the search to an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her naturalization as a U.S. citizen.
In an interview on Saturday, Homan addressed whether Omar could face legal consequences.
“I’m not going to get ahead of the bureau,” Homan said. “We will let the evidence lead where it leads. But she will be held to the same standards you and I are held. If she violated law, then she will be held accountable.”
When asked what the investigation is examining and whether it extends beyond potential immigration fraud, Homan said he “knows things” but directed the question to the FBI.
The FBI did not respond to a request for comment from The Center Square.
Over the weekend, former President Barack Obama joined the many Democrats and civil rights groups condemning the raid.
“It is a basic principle of American democracy that the government can’t selectively target individuals simply because of their political beliefs or what they say,” Obama said in a social media post on Sunday. “But that’s exactly what the Trump Administration is doing to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.”
The Democrat called claims regarding Omar’s immigration status “unsubstantiated,” also stating that this investigation is because the Trump administration is “actively trying to deport” Omar.
“The full weight of the federal government is being brought down on a law-abiding elected official because she has dared to criticize the president,” Obama said. “The fact that any president, or any administration, is willing to engage in such transparent efforts to intimidate someone should outrage all Americans.”
Federal officials searched Omar’s home early Monday morning, according to a statement the U.S. Department of Justice provided The Center Square.
“Homeland Security Investigations executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the Department of Justice,” said a spokesperson. “This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation.”
That same spokesperson declined to comment further on “investigations.”
Attorneys for Omar have demanded that items—including her phone—taken during the raid be returned to the congresswoman, stating its seizure was “neither justified nor lawful,” according to reports. Members of her family are among more than a dozen people who have been subpoenaed by a grand jury.
The raid came just a month after Homan confirmed that Omar is actively under investigation by DHS.
Omar, who immigrated to the United States in 1995, has faced scrutiny for years over the circumstances surrounding her naturalization as a citizen.
In September, Homan refused to reveal many details regarding the “ongoing criminal investigation,” besides that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are the ones conducting it.
Since the raid, other federal officials have joined Homan in confirming the case is “strong,” adding that this is not a politically-motivated prosecution.
“We try to let the law follow the facts, rather than creating facts just to prosecute people we don’t like,” Vance said last week. “I do know there are some serious allegations against Ilhan Omar . . . If there’s a real case there, we’re going to follow the facts.”
The scrutiny includes longstanding allegations that Omar married her brother to facilitate immigration fraud. Omar denied the allegations in 2016, calling them “disgusting lies.”
In December, Omar called an effort to examine records pertaining to her immigration “sick.”
“I have no response because I don’t know what they’ll be investigating,” Omar told a reporter. She added that investigators would “absolutely not” find anything.
According to federal officials, the investigation has been ongoing for some months.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin also discussed the issue in September, alleging that they’ve already determined that she married her brother.
“Something’s going to happen,” Mullin said. “We know that she married her brother to try to bring him to the United States. We know he now lives in London.”
Mullin also threw out the prospect of deportation, which would first require denaturalization.
“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. “If we can prove it, that you shouldn’t have been here in the first place, we will deport you.”
Omar, who represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, has served in Congress since 2019. She addressed the investigation last week.
“Thank you to everyone who stood with me over the years,” Omar said in a post on her personal social media. “It’s been a scary journey but I have always been grounded in my work and ability to provide exemplary service to my constituents.”
Omar added that she has felt targeted.
“Trump and his administration have been after me since I arrived in Congress,” she said. “I have always stood up to him and that will never change. The pedophile protector will never silence me.”
This article was originally published by The Center Square and is republished under its open-access guidelines.
