Federal Agents Search Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Washington Home Weeks Before Midterm Election

Washington: Federal agents on Monday searched the Washington, D.C. home of Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, just three weeks before she stands for reelection in her Minnesota congressional district, prompting accusations from Democrats that the move amounts to political retribution by President Donald Trump.

The search was carried out by Homeland Security investigators under a federal search warrant, indicating that the inquiry concerns immigration-related matters. The Department of Justice offered few details, stating only that the case was a criminal investigation.

Several Trump administration officials have previously signalled that Omar’s immigration history would be the focus of scrutiny. Vice President JD Vance has suggested that the congresswoman committed immigration fraud, while Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin last month referred to an “ongoing investigation” that he indicated was examining possible fraud in her family’s immigration paperwork, remarking at the time that “something’s going to happen.”

Omar, who was born in Somalia, arrived in the United States with her family in 1995 after being granted asylum and became a naturalised U.S. citizen in 2000 at the age of 17.

Asked about the search, President Trump distanced himself from the action, saying “that has nothing to do with me” and deferring to the Justice Department, while adding, “I’ve always found her to be very crooked, personally.” Late last week, the President had alluded to possible action against the congresswoman. At a rally in Tennessee on Saturday, he disparaged Omar’s country of origin and suggested that Vice President Vance “and our people” were investigating her.

The congresswoman, a prominent progressive voice and longtime critic of the President, has been a frequent target of Trump and Republicans. The President has also intensified his rhetoric against Somali immigrants in Minnesota, posting on social media last week that the state’s residents must “fight back” against them. Minnesota has been shaken by several federal fraud cases, some involving Somali-run nonprofit organisations, many of which were brought under former President Joe Biden’s Justice Department. Omar has no involvement in those cases.

Trump has openly sought to use federal law enforcement against those he regards as political adversaries, having pushed for the prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James following earlier investigations they led against him.

Longstanding Justice Department protocol discourages legal action against political candidates in the final weeks before an election, and the departure from that practice has fuelled Democratic criticism. In a joint statement, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other senior congressional Democrats said Trump and “far-right extremists” had for years targeted Omar with “vile personal attacks and baseless accusations,” adding that “less than 30 days until the midterm election, his violent mass deportation machine has descended upon the home of a duly elected Member of Congress and her family.”

Responding on X, Omar described the search as an “attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement.” She said, “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.”

The midterm election is due to be held on November 3. Omar’s Minneapolis district is a Democratic stronghold, and she is widely considered secure in her bid for reelection.