Federal agents searched the Washington, DC, residence of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) early Monday morning as part of an ongoing federal investigation reportedly involving allegations of immigration fraud.
The Justice Department confirmed that Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a division of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), had carried out the search under a warrant approved by a judge.
"Today in the Washington, DC area, Homeland Security Investigations executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the Department of Justice. This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal investigation," a Justice Department spokesperson said.
A person familiar with the investigation told Reuters that the inquiry concerns suspected immigration fraud, including documentation submitted on Omar's behalf by her late father when she was a child.
Omar, who was born in Somalia and is a member of the progressive Democratic group known as "The Squad," is seeking reelection in November. The search took place just weeks before the congressional midterm elections.
The congresswoman, a longtime political opponent of President Donald Trump, accused his administration of using federal law enforcement to intimidate her.
Omar described the search as “the latest escalation" in Trump's “campaign of political intimidation."
In a post on X, she reassured supporters that she was unharmed and rejected the allegations surrounding the investigation.
“I’m ok. Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement," she wrote. “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."
Trump responded later Monday, criticizing Omar while denying any involvement in the decision to search her home.
“I understand they’re looking at her very carefully - I’ve always found her to be a totally crooked person," Trump told reporters at the White House, adding that the search “has nothing to do with me."
“I think she’s a terrible person, but that’s really up to the DOJ, I have nothing to do with it," he continued.
Federal authorities have not publicly disclosed what evidence prompted the search or provided details about the scope of the investigation.
However, senior administration officials had previously suggested that Omar was under federal scrutiny.
Last month, White House border czar Tom Homan told Fox News that “things are going on" concerning the congresswoman, while declining to elaborate.
“But I can’t give the specifics of what’s happening," he said.
Homan confirmed during another Fox News appearance Monday morning that the search warrant had been executed but did not provide additional information.
Beyond her longstanding clashes with Trump, Omar has repeatedly attracted controversy over her statements concerning Israel.
In 2019, she faced accusations of antisemitism after suggesting on social media that Republican criticism of her was motivated by the influence of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a prominent pro-Israel lobbying organization.
Omar subsequently apologized for the remarks before eventually deleting the controversial posts.
She again faced criticism in October 2023 after sharing an image of dead children and attributing their deaths to Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.
The photograph was subsequently identified as depicting children killed in a chemical weapons attack carried out by the Syrian military.
Later that month, Omar blamed Israel for an explosion at a hospital in Gaza. The incident was subsequently attributed to a rocket launched by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization.