Homan Says Ilhan Omar Could Lose U.S. Citizenship if Immigration Law Violations Are Proven
Border czar Tom Homan said investigators have a strong case in their ongoing investigation into allegations of immigration fraud involving Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.).
On Oct. 17, Homan said Omar could lose her U.S. citizenship if investigators establish that she provided false information during the naturalization process.
Omar, who was born in Somalia, came to the United States with her family in the 1990s while fleeing a civil war. She entered the Minnesota state legislature in 2017 and became a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2019.
Federal agents searched Omar’s home in Washington on Oct. 12 as part of a criminal investigation into allegations of possible immigration fraud. Omar has strongly denied the accusations.
In an Oct. 17 interview with Fox News, Homan said investigators had a strong case but declined to discuss the specific evidence gathered so far.
“If she violated a law, then she’ll be held accountable,” Homan said. He added that he did not have the details of the evidence on a line-by-line basis but said investigators would continue examining the case.
“I think they’re going to turn over every rock they got,” he said.
Asked whether Omar could lose her U.S. citizenship and face deportation, Homan said such an outcome was possible if the allegations were substantiated.
“Of course, if you lie during the naturalization process, there is a process to denaturalize somebody. We’ve done it before. It’s a long, tedious process, but it’s been done before,” he said.
“And certainly, if the evidence points that way, that could happen.”
Omar’s spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
Omar, 44, is seeking a fifth term in the House of Representatives in the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Her congressional district includes Minneapolis and surrounding areas.
On Oct. 12, Omar’s office condemned the search as “an outrageous abuse of power” and accused the Trump administration of using federal law enforcement to target political opponents.
Authorities have released few details about the investigation. Before the search, Vice President JD Vance and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin had indicated that Omar could be the subject of an inquiry.
Last month, Mullin referred to an ongoing investigation involving Omar and suggested that possible fraud could be involved in immigration-related documents submitted by members of her family.
“Something’s going to happen,” Mullin wrote in a social media post at the time.
Former President Barack Obama has defended Omar, arguing that the investigation is politically motivated and linked to her criticism of President Donald Trump.
In an Oct. 18 social media post, Obama said the administration was attempting to deport Omar based on what he described as an unsubstantiated theory that she was already 18 when her father became a naturalized U.S. citizen.
Obama also criticized federal agents for searching Omar’s home, taking personal records, and seizing her phone. He argued that investigators were attempting to find evidence related to events from approximately 20 years ago.
According to Obama, Omar arrived in the United States with her father when she was 12. He said her father became a naturalized U.S. citizen when she was 17, which meant she automatically acquired citizenship because she was under 18 at the time.
The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment.