Rep. Ilhan Omar pushes back on immigration-fraud claims after federal raid
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Rep. Ilhan Omar said she did not marry her former husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, to secure immigration benefits and denied any known family connection, as federal investigators continue a sweeping criminal probe that she says is politically motivated.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., told MS Now host Chris Hayes that she did not marry her former husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, to obtain immigration benefits and that she is not aware of any family connection between them. "Not to my knowledge," she said when asked about a rumored sibling relationship.
The comments came during Omar's first media appearance since Homeland Security Investigations agents executed a court-authorized search warrant at her Washington, D.C., residence on Oct. 12 as part of a federal criminal investigation into possible false statements on her immigration and naturalization paperwork. The Justice Department has not released details of the allegations, and Omar has cast the case as a politically motivated effort.
A U.S. magistrate judge approved the warrant, and federal authorities have issued more than a dozen grand-jury subpoenas, including to members of Omar's family, and seized her cellphone. Omar's sister, Sahra Noor, reportedly spoke with investigators following the raid.
Omar characterized the probe as politically motivated and posted a video from a car, asking supporters to continue sending her money. A separate inquiry is examining her campaign finances and financial disclosures, an investigation that began in 2024 and was noted by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro.
Both investigations remain ongoing.