Rep. Ilhan Omar is revealing new details about the early-morning federal search of her Washington, D.C., residence, saying she awoke to agents “pounding” on the doors before discovering that law enforcement had surrounded the property.
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The Minnesota Democrat described the October 12 search during an interview Wednesday with MS NOW host Chris Hayes, offering her most detailed public account yet of the operation connected to a federal immigration fraud investigation.
“I woke up to pounding on my door,” Omar told Hayes, explaining that the noise initially left her confused about what was happening.
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Omar said her first thought was that there might be an emergency at the residence, recalling that she wondered whether “something was on fire.”
She said her husband, Tim Mynett, went downstairs and encountered federal agents at the door, while other agents positioned themselves around the property.
“They basically surrounded the house,” Omar said, adding that the agents subsequently entered and began searching the residence.
The search was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations as part of an inquiry examining Omar’s immigration and citizenship history, including allegations involving information supplied to federal authorities decades ago.
Investigators have been examining whether Omar or members of her family made false statements during the immigration process, although Omar has repeatedly denied committing immigration fraud and has not been charged with a crime.
Omar told Hayes that agents searched the residence room by room and ultimately removed 17 items, including electronic devices and personal materials.
Among the property taken, according to Omar, were cellphones, notebooks belonging to Mynett, a camera, her passport and a Somali phrase book.
Despite the dramatic circumstances, Omar described the agents themselves as professional, characterizing the search as “intrusive but polite.”
The congresswoman said she was particularly disturbed by the seizure of personal belongings and by the subsequent public disclosure of the location of the residence.
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Omar told Hayes she no longer believes she can safely stay at the property because its address has become widely known amid intense public attention surrounding the investigation.
The raid represents one element of a broader investigation that has reportedly included more than a dozen grand jury subpoenas and interviews with people connected to Omar and her family.
Investigators have also interviewed Omar’s sister, Sahra Noor, while examining records surrounding the family’s immigration to the United States from Somalia.
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Omar arrived in the United States as a refugee in the 1990s and became an American citizen in 2000 through her father, who had been naturalized.
Federal investigators are reportedly examining whether information concerning Omar’s age was accurately represented during that process and whether her father properly disclosed aspects of his background.
The investigation has also revived longstanding allegations surrounding Omar’s 2009 marriage to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, whom critics have alleged was actually her brother in an immigration-related arrangement.
Omar again forcefully denied that allegation during the Hayes interview, describing the claim that she married her brother as “insane.”
When Hayes separately asked whether Omar and Elmi were related, however, she responded, “Not to my knowledge,” a remark that generated additional attention following the interview.
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No publicly released evidence has established that Elmi is Omar’s brother, and Omar has consistently rejected allegations that the marriage involved immigration fraud.
Omar has also disputed reports surrounding DNA evidence in the investigation, while published reports have said investigators possess genetic evidence that could potentially be relevant to questions about family relationships.
The search itself required judicial authorization based on a finding of probable cause, but that legal standard does not amount to a determination that Omar committed any criminal offense.
A federal judge also imposed special procedures governing materials seized from Omar because some documents and communications could be protected by the Constitution’s Speech or Debate Clause due to her work as a member of Congress.
Omar has accused the Trump administration of politically targeting her and using federal law enforcement against one of the president’s most outspoken congressional opponents, though the initial investigation began during President Biden’s term.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
