Federal agents searched the Washington, D.C. home of Rep. Ilhan Omar under a judge-approved warrant, in what the Justice Department calls an ongoing criminal investigation.
Story Highlights
- Homeland Security Investigations agents searched Omar’s D.C. home early on Monday, October 12.
- Sources say the fraud probe centers on immigration paperwork her late father filled out when she was a child.
- The Justice Department calls the search “part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation.”
- Omar has not been charged with any crime. On Monday she called the search political and wrote, “I will not be silenced.”
Omar, a Democratic congresswoman from Minnesota who was born in Somalia, is the focus of a criminal fraud investigation into her family’s immigration paperwork, according to two sources familiar with the probe. Those sources say the papers were filled out by her late father when she was a child. Officials have not released the details of what they suspect.
What Agents Did Monday Morning
Agents from Homeland Security Investigations, or HSI, carried out the search early Monday morning. HSI is the main criminal investigations arm of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency inside the Department of Homeland Security that enforces immigration law. A Justice Department spokesperson said HSI “executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the Department of Justice.”
🚨#Breaking News: Homeland Security Searches Somali-American Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s Home in Federal Investigation
U.S. Homeland Security Investigations agents searched the Washington-area home of Somali-American Congresswoman Ilhan Omar on Monday, October 12, under a… pic.twitter.com/UHBq7d8eAc
— Voice of Horn (@VoiceofHorn) October 12, 2026
A search warrant like this one means prosecutors had to convince a judge there was good reason, known as probable cause, to believe evidence of a crime could be found at the home. Probable cause is a real legal bar, but it is lower than the proof needed to convict anyone. The spokesperson added, “This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation.”
Officials have not said what agents took from the home, if anything, or whether Omar was there during the search. No charges have been filed.
Omar’s Side
Omar answered on Monday, Oct. 12, in a social media post. She wrote “I’m ok” and “I will not be silenced,” and called the search “an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement.” Her office said she has “done nothing wrong.” In September, after the investigation was first made public, she told reporters that the Department of Homeland Security had never notified her of any criminal investigation. For years she has also denied a separate, long-running claim about her marital history, calling it “disgusting lies” in 2016.
How The Probe Came To Light
The search follows a public warning. In mid-September, Tom Homan, the White House border czar who oversees the administration’s border and deportation policy, said Omar was the subject of an ongoing “criminal” investigation. Monday’s search is the first public sign that the probe has reached a judge.
Vice President JD Vance has also weighed in. Asked about the investigation in an interview, he said, “It certainly seems like something fishy is there.” He added, “But everyone is entitled to equal justice under the laws.”
What Comes Next
A search warrant is a step in an investigation, not a finding of guilt. Omar is presumed innocent unless prosecutors bring charges and prove them in court. The Justice Department has not said when it will decide whether to file charges.
For voters, the case comes down to a simple idea: immigration rules should apply the same way to everyone, including members of Congress. Paperwork filed for a child decades ago will now be measured against the law, and the court record, not rumor, will settle what it shows.
Sources:
ground.news, washingtontimes.com
