White House border czar Tom Homan says the Trump administration is investigating Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., for alleged immigration fraud, reviving long-standing claims about how the progressive lawmaker became a U.S. citizen.
Homan made the remarks last week on Newsmax's "Rob Schmitt Tonight," saying he had recently been advised by a fraud investigator to examine Omar's immigration history.
"You know, there was immigration fraud involved," Homan said. "The statute of limitation became an issue in the last four years when this was first brought up.
"Who was president? Who ran [the Department of Justice]?"
Homan added that the investigator told him there was no doubt that immigration fraud was committed and said that anyone convicted of such violations would be deported.
The allegations stem from claims made previously by President Donald Trump and others that Omar married her brother to obtain U.S. citizenship — accusations Omar has repeatedly denied, and which have not been proved.
Asked Wednesday on Capitol Hill by independent journalist Nicholas Ballasy to respond to Homan's comments, Omar dismissed the inquiry and lashed out at Homan.
"Because they're sick," Omar said when asked why she thinks Homan mentioned the investigation.
Omar also maintained she does not know what investigators are examining and insisted they will "absolutely not" find anything incriminating.
The dispute comes amid heightened tensions between the Trump administration and Omar, a frequent critic of the president since entering Congress in 2019.
Over the weekend, Omar claimed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents targeted her son in a Target store in Minnesota. She told CBS affiliate WCCO that her son was released after showing his U.S. passport.
The Department of Homeland Security denied the claim, saying ICE did not detain her son and accusing Omar of staging a "PR stunt."
Omar has argued that federal immigration enforcement efforts in Minnesota amount to racial profiling, saying agents are targeting young Somali men they assume are in the U.S. illegally.
"They are looking for young men who look Somali," she said. "My son was born here so was the young man that was harassed."
Trump has repeatedly criticized Omar and Minnesota's Somali community, particularly in connection with a fraud scandal in the state involving dozens of Somali individuals who have been charged or convicted.
On Friday, Trump accused Omar of coming to the U.S. and then telling Americans "how it should be run," adding, "We don't want to hear from her."
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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