Ilhan Omar Plans to Leave Washington Home After Federal Search

US Congress member Ilhan Omar says she plans to leave her Washington, DC, home after federal agents searched the property in an investigation into alleged immigration fraud.

Omar said the search left her feeling unsafe. Speaking to MS NOW, she said Homeland Security investigators arrived at about 6am and knocked on the door with a warrant.

According to Omar, the search lasted about four or five hours. She said investigators seized 17 items, including phones, notebooks, a Somali-language children’s book and a vintage camera.

Omar described the agents as “intrusive but polite”, saying they recorded the items taken and returned everything else to its place.

Justice Department describes ongoing investigation

A Justice Department spokesperson said the search was conducted under a “judicially authorised search warrant” and formed part of an “ongoing federal criminal investigation”. The investigation concerns alleged immigration fraud.

NBC News, citing a person familiar with the matter, reported that potential future charges could include conspiracy and making false statements in Omar’s immigration paperwork. No such charges are identified as having been filed in the supplied information.

Omar has denied wrongdoing. She said she was “confident in the fact that I didn’t do anything wrong” and accused the administration of using the investigation as political intimidation.

Political reaction

The search has drawn criticism from congressional Democrats, who questioned its timing ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.

Omar, a Minnesota Democrat and naturalised US citizen, was born in Somalia and came to the United States with her family after they obtained asylum. She became a US citizen in 2000.

She has repeatedly denied allegations that she married her brother. Addressing those claims, Omar has described them as “disgusting lies”. She also challenged allegations about her immigration history, saying it would be “a huge undertaking” to accuse a 12-year-old of conspiring to defraud immigration services.

Donald Trump has frequently criticised Omar. Earlier in the week, he described her as “sick” and “dishonest” and referred to Somalia, her birthplace, as a “real s—house”.

Omar is seeking re-election in a Minneapolis district described in the supplied information as deep blue, where she is expected to retain her seat.