Ilhan Omar could lose her American citizenship and face deportation if investigators uncover immigration fraud, White House border czar Tom Homan has said.
Speaking to Fox News, Mr Homan said officials had been told they had a “strong case” against the Somali-born Democratic congresswoman, whose Washington DC home was searched by federal agents last week.
Asked whether the investigation could lead to Ms Omar being denaturalised and deported, he replied: “Of course.”
Mr Homan said citizenship could be revoked if someone had lied during the naturalisation process, although he acknowledged that denaturalisation was a lengthy legal procedure.
“We’ve done it before, and it is a long, tedious process, but it’s been done before,” he said. “I’ve been involved with those investigations before, and certainly if the evidence points that way, yes, it could happen.”
Ms Omar, 44, has not been charged with a crime and denies any wrongdoing. She has described the investigation as a politically motivated witch hunt.
The FBI search of her home reportedly involved the seizure of her mobile phone as part of an inquiry into allegations concerning her family’s immigration paperwork. Officials have not publicly disclosed evidence proving that she committed immigration fraud.
Mr Homan said Ms Omar would be treated in the same way as any other person under investigation.
“We’ll let the evidence see where it leads,” he said. “She’ll be held to the same standard you and I are held. If she violated law then she’d be held accountable.”
He also said deterrence was part of the administration’s approach, including reviews of refugee cases and denaturalisation proceedings. But he declined to say whether investigators were examining possible offences beyond immigration fraud.
Obama condemns investigation
The case has prompted a rare public intervention from former president Barack Obama, who accused Donald Trump’s administration of using the federal government to intimidate one of its most outspoken critics.
Writing on X, Mr Obama said: “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.”
“But that’s exactly what the Trump Administration is doing to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota,” he added.
Mr Obama said the investigation appeared to centre on a disputed question about Ms Omar’s age when her father became a naturalised American citizen. He said she had arrived in the United States aged 12 and automatically acquired citizenship five years later when her father was naturalised.
According to Mr Obama, investigators were pursuing a theory that she had actually been 18 at the time, which could potentially affect her citizenship status.
“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,” he wrote.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said several court-authorised search warrants had been carried out on the same day as the search of Ms Omar’s home. He said a judge had approved the warrants and that investigators expected to take the case to a grand jury.
Mr Mullin rejected claims that the inquiry was a politically driven crackdown, saying: “We wouldn’t move forward, and President Trump didn’t want to move forward either, unless we knew that it couldn’t be politically driven.”
He also suggested that federal racketeering laws could be considered if evidence showed a coordinated scheme involving fraudulent paperwork used to bring other people into the country.
Longstanding allegations that Ms Omar married her brother to assist his immigration to the United States have resurfaced during the investigation. She has repeatedly dismissed the claims as “absurd and offensive”.
Her lawyers have demanded the return of property seized during the search, arguing that the inquiry was unlawful and politically motivated. They said there was “no legitimate basis for any suggestion that she has violated any law concerning her citizenship status”.
Justice Department spokeswoman Emily Covington rejected the allegations, saying the lawyers’ letter was “riddled with false allegations and inaccuracies”. She said attorneys and law enforcement partners had complied with court orders and their legal obligations.
Mr Trump has denied involvement in the investigation, telling reporters after the search: “I think she’s a terrible person, but that’s really up to the DOJ.”
