Topline
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., fired back at President Donald Trump on Monday after federal authorities raided her home early Monday—following an onslaught of attacks from Trump and his allies over the Somali-born congresswoman’s citizenship status.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) speaks during a campaign rally for Wisconsin Gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong on August 2, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Joshua Lott/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
Omar said in a post on X, “make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement. For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation. I will not be silenced.”
Fox News reported the raid is part of a criminal investigation of the Somali-born congresswoman’s immigration paperwork filed by her father when she was a child, though federal officials have not publicly stated a reason for the probe.
Border czar Tom Homan said last month she was under criminal investigation, without providing details.
Vice President JD Vance also said in May the administration would investigate Omar’s citizenship, referencing the right-wing conspiracy that she married her brother to obtain citizenship, though there is no evidence to support the claim.
Forbes has reached out to Omar’s office.
Tangent
Omar is a refugee who fled Somalia’s civil war with her family in the 1990s and resettled in the U.S., when she was about 12 years old, according to her website. She became a naturalized citizen at 17. She was previously married to Ahmed Hirsi, the father of her three children, and to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, a British citizen. She married Tim Mynett, a Washington political consultant, in 2020.
Key Background
Trump has repeatedly attacked the Somali community in Minnesota as part of his anti-immigration push. He has used the Minnesota health care fraud scheme, in which some defendants were Somali immigrants, to amplify his claims. In May, he promised to move ICE agents to airports to arrest “all illegal immigrants who have come into our Country, with heavy emphasis on those from Somalia, who have totally destroyed, with the approval of a corrupt Governor, Attorney General, and Congresswoman, Ilhan Omar, the once Great State of Minnesota.” Last week, he said Minnesota is “being taken over by Somali Immigrants,” claiming “there is Violence, Murder, and Mayhem all over the State. The people of Minnesota must fight back.”
Correction (Oct. 12): This story has been updated to report that Omar’s home in the Washington, D.C. area was raided.
further reading
Trump Claims Ilhan Omar Is Worth $44M. Here’s Why That’s Highly Unlikely. (Forbes)
Democrat Ilhan Omar Tells Trump He’s ‘Killed Americans’ In Heated Exchange During State Of The Union (Forbes)
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