Federal investigators have issued subpoenas to multiple relatives of Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar as the Justice Department expands its criminal investigation into allegations involving the Minnesota congresswoman’s immigration history and the circumstances surrounding her acquisition of American citizenship.
The subpoenas reportedly include Omar’s sister, Sahra Noor, and at least one additional family member. The development comes just one day after Homeland Security Investigations agents searched Omar’s Washington, D.C., residence as part of the ongoing federal investigation.
Investigators are examining whether Omar’s late father, Nur Omar Mohamed, provided inaccurate or incomplete information on immigration documents before becoming a naturalized American citizen.
The investigation has also raised questions about Omar’s own citizenship timeline, particularly her longstanding statement that she became an American citizen at age 17 through her father’s naturalization in 2000.
According to individuals familiar with the investigation, federal authorities are reviewing decades-old immigration records to determine whether any false statements or omissions affected the family’s legal status.
The subpoenas represent another significant development in an investigation that has attracted national attention because of Omar’s position in Congress and her longstanding political disagreements with President Trump.
Sahra Noor, one of the relatives reportedly subpoenaed, is an author and businesswoman who has written about her family’s experience fleeing Somalia and immigrating to the United States.
Noor operates a Minneapolis-based consulting company involved in healthcare and community development initiatives.
According to the company’s promotional materials, its work has helped secure more than $20 million in funding for health-related initiatives and included consulting on projects supported by federal agencies and international development organizations.
Those professional activities have not been publicly identified as the subject of the immigration investigation, and receiving a subpoena does not mean Noor is accused of committing a crime.
Federal authorities have not disclosed the specific testimony or documents they are seeking from Omar’s relatives.
The subpoenas could provide investigators with additional information about the family’s immigration history, including the circumstances surrounding their arrival in the United States and the documentation used during the naturalization process.
Omar was born in Somalia and fled the country’s civil war with her family during childhood. After spending several years in a refugee camp in Kenya, the family immigrated to the United States in 1995.
The congresswoman has maintained that she became an American citizen in 2000 through her father’s naturalization while she was still a minor.
However, questions about that timeline have circulated for years, particularly among political opponents who have challenged the accuracy of information appearing in Omar’s public biographies.
Former congressional primary opponent AJ Kern previously obtained a response from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services indicating that the agency had located no record of Omar’s father becoming a naturalized citizen.
That response has been cited by critics questioning Omar’s account of her citizenship history. However, the reported absence of a record in that response does not independently establish that her father was never naturalized.
Investigators are also examining allegations that Omar or her father may have provided inaccurate information about her birth date.
The issue has attracted renewed attention following the disclosure of correspondence showing that Omar’s congressional staff requested a correction to her birth year in an official Minnesota legislative database in May 2019.
The Minnesota Legislative Reference Library had previously listed Omar’s birth year as 1981 before changing it to 1982 at the request of her staff.
The difference is potentially relevant because Omar has stated that she acquired citizenship through her father before turning 18.
Under the citizenship laws applicable at the time, a child’s age and the naturalization status of a parent could affect eligibility to acquire citizenship.
Omar has maintained that the changes to her public biographical information were intended to correct inaccuracies rather than conceal information about her immigration history.
The latest subpoenas follow Monday’s early morning search of the Washington residence Omar shares with her husband, Tim Mynett.
Federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations entered the property under a search warrant authorized by a federal judge.
The Justice Department confirmed that the search was part of an ongoing criminal investigation but declined to publicly identify the specific evidence being sought.
The warrant reportedly identified potential offenses involving immigration fraud, conspiracy and false statements.
However, investigators have not announced criminal charges against Omar, and the allegations remain unproven.
Omar responded to the search by accusing the Trump administration of using federal law enforcement to target political opponents.
She rejected allegations of wrongdoing and described the investigation as another escalation in a longstanding political dispute with the president.
“I will not be silenced,” Omar declared in her public response.
President Trump denied personally directing the search but continued criticizing the congresswoman, whose immigration background and political positions have frequently been subjects of his public remarks.
The investigation has also generated criticism from Democratic congressional leaders, who have questioned why federal authorities conducted a high-profile search involving a sitting member of Congress just weeks before the November 3 midterm elections.
Justice Department guidelines generally discourage investigative actions timed to influence elections, although those policies do not prohibit legitimate investigations involving political candidates.
The administration has maintained that federal immigration laws apply to everyone, including elected officials, and that allegations of fraud warrant examination when investigators have sufficient evidence.
Meanwhile, a separate federal investigation has emerged involving Omar’s financial disclosure statements.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro confirmed that her office is examining questions surrounding financial filings that previously reported a substantial increase in the value of assets associated with Omar and her husband.
The filings initially placed their combined assets in a range that reached approximately $30 million, compared with substantially lower figures reported in earlier disclosures.
Omar subsequently revised the figures downward, attributing the discrepancy to an accounting error.
The financial inquiry is separate from the immigration investigation, and federal officials have not publicly established that the two matters are connected.
Pirro has indicated that prosecutors intend to examine the available evidence regardless of the outcome of earlier congressional reviews.
The simultaneous investigations have intensified scrutiny of Omar, who represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District and is seeking another term in the House.
Despite the growing attention, the congresswoman has consistently denied allegations of immigration fraud and maintains that the administration’s actions are politically motivated.
The issuance of subpoenas to family members gives federal investigators another means of gathering evidence, but it does not establish that any member of Omar’s family committed a crime.
Authorities have not disclosed when the subpoena recipients are expected to provide testimony or documents, nor have they announced whether additional searches or legal proceedings are planned.
For now, investigators are continuing to examine the family’s immigration records, Omar’s citizenship timeline and allegations involving information submitted during the naturalization process.
The investigation’s outcome will depend on the documentary evidence and testimony federal authorities obtain, with no criminal charges announced against Omar as of the latest reports.
The post Ilhan Omar’s Family Members Subpoenaed in Federal Immigration Fraud Investigation Following Raid on Her Washington Home appeared first on Real News Now.
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