Federal immigration agents raided the Washington, D.C., home of Representative Ilhan Omar on October 12, 2026, seizing electronic devices and personal items amid an investigation into her citizenship and immigration history. The Minnesota Democrat announced she will move out of the residence over safety concerns.
Representative Ilhan Omar described a pre-dawn raid on her Washington residence by Homeland Security Investigations agents who arrived at her door at 6 a.m. on October 12, 2026. Speaking in an interview with MS NOW, the lawmaker said agents banged on her front and back doors and woke her after she had slept for barely two and a half hours following a travel return. She recalled thinking that something was on fire
as confusion reigned during the initial moments of the search.
Agents spent approximately four or five hours inside the residence, during which Omar was able to reach her attorney about an hour after they began. According to inventory receipts, the federal team removed 17 items from the property. The seized items included old mobile phones belonging to Omar and one of her daughters, a camera passed down by her husband’s uncle from his Navy service, notebooks, and a book her husband had been using to learn Somali.
Following the search, Omar stated that she could no longer live in the Washington apartment because her address is publicly known and she faces persistent death threats. She noted that it is no longer feasible to maintain the residence while individuals track their whereabouts.
Federal Investigation Into Immigration History and Identity Claims
The search warrant executed at the congresswoman’s home stems from an ongoing criminal probe led by the Department of Justice regarding her citizenship and naturalization records. Federal prosecutors are examining whether Omar or her relatives provided materially false information when she arrived in the United States as a refugee in 1995 and became a naturalized citizen in 2000. Jonathan Fahey noted that establishing that an individual lived under a false identity for decades could open her up to a whole slew of new charges and strengthen potential civil denaturalization proceedings.
Multiple sources have confirmed to me that federal agents went dumpster diving to get DNA from Minnesota Congresswoman @IlhanMN and her family before the raid on her D.C. home earlier this week. Our reporting suggests investigations go far beyond simple immigration fraud.… pic.twitter.com/0UOCS5606s
Federal prosecutors plan to use DNA evidence to try to prove that the congresswoman committed immigration fraud, according to sources familiar with the matter. Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor, explained that prosecutors could attempt to prove a conspiracy to commit immigration fraud that will likely fall within a 10-year statute of limitations, or else pursue a civil case that would carry no statute of limitations.
Legal filings and court applications unsealed in Washington, D.C., refer to the representative under the name Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, also known as Ilhan Abdullahi Omar. The marriage of Omar to British citizen Ahmed Nur Said Elmi from 2009 to 2017 has faced renewed scrutiny from investigators questioning the validity of her naturalization process and past immigration documents.
Trump’s goal is to intimidate me and get me to back down. That’s not going to happen. I will not be silenced, and I will not stop fighting for my constituents. pic.twitter.com/AB7g6tmYOK
Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney in Washington, DC, has questioned whether Omar followed all laws as they relate to naturalization and immigration. Legal analysts indicate that potential charges could encompass conspiracy, naturalization fraud, and false statements on government paperwork.
Trump Calls for Omar to Resign from Congress
President Donald Trump called for Omar to resign immediately, writing on social media that she had openly admitted to fraud and would not be permitted to remain in Congress. In a Truth Social post, the president urged House Speaker James Michael Johnson to take note that her seat had been conceded.
The Trump administration has directed the Department of Homeland Security to supply the Justice Department with 100 to 200 denaturalization cases per month. The Justice Department instructed all employees within the Civil Division to prioritize and maximally pursue denaturalization proceedings as part of a wider administrative push.
A spokesperson for Omar called it disgraceful that the media continues to give oxygen to a lie, describing questions about the congresswoman’s identity as a desperate smear designed to distract from the failed presidency of Donald Trump and two years of Republican failure in Congress.
Defense representatives and supporters have decried the investigation as an outrageous abuse of power designed to intimidate political opponents. Omar’s defense lawyers stated that there is no legitimate basis for any suggestion that she violated any law concerning her citizenship status. The ongoing scrutiny aligns with a broader administration push that has accelerated civil denaturalization filings across the federal court system.
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BREAKING: Ilhan Omar's DC Home Reportedly Raided by DHS Agents https://t.co/svbqucyJ06