The Washington home of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) was searched on Oct. 12 by federal agents as part of a criminal investigation, according to the Department of Justice.
A DOJ spokesperson told media outlets that Homeland Security Investigations officials executed a search warrant in Washington, which was secured by the Justice Department and authorized by a judge.
“This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal investigation,” the DOJ spokesperson said.
The search was confirmed by White House border czar Tom Homan in an interview with Fox News.
Border Czar Confirms Investigation
Speaking to Fox News on the morning of Oct. 12, Homan confirmed that a search warrant was executed at the Democratic lawmaker’s home.
However, he said he could not provide more details about the reasons for the search, adding that both Homeland Security Investigations and the Justice Department are involved.
“I can confirm that a search warrant was executed this morning, signed by a judge. The Justice Department is leading the investigation along with the Department of Homeland Security,” Homan said. “There is an investigation. I don’t want to get into the specifics of the criminal investigation.”
Homan then suggested that questions should be directed to Attorney General Todd Blanche, adding that “a warrant was served today.”
The DOJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Oct. 12.
Omar, Democrats Respond
Responding to the probe, Omar wrote in a Oct. 12 post on X that she believes that there is a political reason behind the search warrant being executed at her home.
“For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns,” Omar said. “This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation. I will not be silenced.”
In a joint statement, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and other members of the House Democratic leadership team condemned the Trump administration for the action.
“Now, less than 30 days until the midterm election, his violent mass deportation machine has descended upon the home of a duly elected Member of Congress and her family,” the statement said.
Jeffries, House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), and House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) added that voters should be afforded transparency from the White House.
In Minnesota, Democratic Gov. Tim Walz wrote on social media that he believes Trump “is abusing” his “power to go after political opponents weeks before an election.”
Builds on Prior Administration Comments
In recent months, multiple officials within the Trump administration including Vice President JD Vance and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin have said that Omar may have violated U.S. immigration laws.
“You read the things about Ilhan Omar and about who she married and whether she didn’t marry this person or that person. It certainly seems like something fishy is there, but everybody’s entitled to equal justice under the laws,” Vance said during a news conference when asked about the lawmaker in a news conference in May.
Vance in March told podcaster Benny Johnson that officials “actually think that Ilhan Omar definitely committed immigration fraud” and said he had spoken to Trump aide Stephen Miller about what could be done.
Additionally, the vice president added that Omar was allegedly connected to “the worst fraudsters in the Somalian community” in Minnesota. “We at least need to investigate it,” Vance said.
Mullin, a Trump appointee, said last month that “something’s gonna happen” in the investigation into Omar’s family’s entry into the United States.
“If we can prove that you shouldn’t have been here in the first place, we’ll deport you,” Mullin told Johnson in March.
Omar Previously Denied Claims
In May, Omar told Fox News that the Justice Department is not investigating her for alleged fraud and immigration violations, as detailed by Vance.
“That is not something that is happening. That man is delusional,” she told Fox News, later adding: “I don’t think they are using any resources. They’re just saying stupid [expletive].”
Omar, 44, is seeking a fifth term as a member of the House of Representatives in the midterm elections on Nov. 3. Her district covers Minneapolis and some surrounding areas.
The lawmaker, who is of Somali origin, moved to the United States in the 1990s and became a U.S. House member in 2019 and a member of “the Squad,” an informal grouping of Democrats that included Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), and others.
Omar’s office did not immediately respond to an Epoch Times request for comment on Oct. 12.
A previous version of this article misstated the name of House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) The Epoch Times regrets the error.
Reuters contributed to this report.
