by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – U.S. federal agents raided the Washington home of influential Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar early Monday as part of a criminal investigation reportedly involving her immigration records, just weeks before crucial midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.

Agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, searched the Somali-born Minnesota lawmaker’s residence shortly after 6 a.m., according to Fox News Digital, the online news service of the Fox News Channel, which first reported the operation.

The U.S. Justice Department confirmed that federal agents had executed a court-authorized search warrant in the Washington, D.C., area as part of an ongoing criminal investigation, although it did not publicly identify Omar or specify the allegations under examination.

Fox News Digital reported that the investigation concerns immigration paperwork completed by Omar’s late father when she was a child, raising questions about her family’s entry into the United States and her subsequent citizenship.

However, authorities have not publicly presented evidence establishing wrongdoing by the congresswoman.

IMMIGRATION FRAUD INVESTIGATION

Omar, 44, was born in Somalia and arrived in the United States as a refugee during the 1990s after her family fled the country’s civil war. She became an American citizen in 2000 and was elected to Congress in 2018, becoming the first Somali American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The congresswoman represents Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Minneapolis, and belongs to the progressive Democratic group known as “The Squad,” whose members have frequently challenged President Donald J. Trump and his administration.

Vice President JD Vance previously accused Omar of immigration fraud and said he had discussed possible legal action with White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. Omar and her representatives have dismissed the allegations as false and politically motivated.

The congresswoman has faced separate allegations for years concerning her previous marriages and claims that she married a relative to facilitate immigration benefits. She has repeatedly denied those allegations, which have not been established in court.

MILLIONS IN REPORTED ASSETS

Omar has also faced scrutiny over financial disclosures involving her husband, political consultant and businessman Tim Mynett, whose interests have included a venture-capital management company and a California winery.

Earlier congressional financial disclosures listed Mynett’s interests in Rose Lake Capital at between $5 million and $25 million and his stake in the winery business eStCru at between $1 million and $5 million, suggesting combined business interests worth between $6 million and $30 million.

The figures prompted questions from Republican lawmakers because the same business interests had previously been reported as worth no more than $51,000. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer sought financial records from the companies, citing concerns about the dramatic increase in their reported valuations.

However, Omar subsequently amended her disclosure, attributing the original valuations to an accounting error. The revised filing listed the couple’s reportable assets at between $18,004 and $95,000, while reporting income from Mynett’s two businesses in a range of $102,502 to $1,005,000.

FINANCIAL QUESTIONS REMAIN

Her spokesperson said the accounting mistake had created a misleading impression of substantial personal wealth and maintained that the congresswoman was not a millionaire. The revised filing did not resolve all questions raised by Republican critics about the businesses and their finances.

There was no immediate public confirmation that Monday’s search was connected to the disputed asset disclosures or that investigators had established financial misconduct by Omar or her husband.

The raid also comes amid continuing controversy over massive financial fraud in Minnesota, home to one of America’s largest Somali communities. Federal prosecutors uncovered a $250 million scheme involving the theft of government funds intended to feed children during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to dozens of convictions, including those of Somali American defendants.

The case centered on Feeding Our Future, a Minnesota nonprofit organization whose founder, Aimee Bock, was sentenced to more than 41 years in prison for helping orchestrate the scheme. Prosecutors said participants diverted funds intended for vulnerable children to purchase luxury vehicles, properties, and finance international travel.

MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL

Trump has repeatedly cited fraud allegations in Minnesota while criticizing the state’s Somali community and demanding tougher immigration enforcement. However, the Feeding Our Future case is separate from the investigation involving Omar, and authorities have not established that the congresswoman participated in the scheme.

Monday’s operation came just over three weeks before the November 3 midterm elections, when Republicans will seek to defend their narrow majorities in Congress against Democrats hoping to regain control of the House of Representatives and potentially the Senate.

The timing is particularly sensitive because longstanding Justice Department policy discourages investigative actions intended to influence elections. Federal authorities have traditionally exercised additional caution in politically sensitive investigations during the final weeks of election campaigns.

Trump has repeatedly criticized Omar over her immigration background, political positions and outspoken opposition to his administration’s policies, including its efforts to strengthen immigration enforcement.

POLITICAL TENSIONS BEFORE ELECTIONS

Omar has accused the president of encouraging hostility toward immigrants and Muslim Americans, while Trump and his allies maintain that immigration laws must be enforced regardless of an individual’s political position or public office.

The congresswoman has also faced threats and physical intimidation. Earlier this year, a man attacked her during a public appearance in Minnesota by spraying her with a liquid later identified as vinegar, an incident that renewed concerns about threats against elected officials.

Omar has previously said that inflammatory political rhetoric has contributed to threats against her and her family, while continuing to defend her record as an elected representative and advocate for immigrant communities.

However, lawmakers and politicians on both sides of the political aisle, including President Trump, have faced threats and attacks amid heightened political tensions across the United States.

CONGRESSWOMAN FACES UNCERTAINTY

It remained unclear Monday whether federal investigators had seized documents or electronic devices during the search, whether Omar had been questioned, or whether prosecutors intended to pursue criminal charges.

No criminal charges against Omar arising from Monday’s search had been publicly announced, and the execution of a search warrant does not itself establish that a crime has been committed.

Yer the federal operation marked a significant escalation in the confrontation between the Trump administration and one of its most outspoken congressional critics, raising questions about immigration enforcement, political accountability and the independence of federal law enforcement ahead of the elections.

Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.