WASHINGTON (Monitoring Desk): The US newspaper The Wall Street Journal has reported that President Donald Trump’s administration is examining the possibility of revoking Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s US citizenship and deporting her. According to the newspaper, investigations are ongoing, but no court case seeking to strip her of citizenship has reportedly been filed so far.
Citing US officials and people familiar with the investigation, the report said a key aspect of the inquiry is determining how Ilhan Omar, who came to the United States from Somalia as a refugee, obtained American citizenship. Officials are reviewing her family’s immigration records, while more than a dozen subpoenas have reportedly been issued to various individuals, including some of her relatives, to provide testimony before a grand jury in Minnesota.
According to the newspaper, investigators are also examining allegations that Ilhan Omar or her late father may have listed her age as 17 rather than 18 in immigration documents. The alleged discrepancy could potentially have helped her obtain citizenship through her father; otherwise, she would have had to apply independently.
Ilhan Omar’s father died in 2020, making the process of gathering evidence in the matter more complicated. Omar has previously denied allegations of immigration fraud, while her office has described the current investigation as baseless.
The report also stated that immigration authorities examined similar allegations during former President Joe Biden’s administration. However, no further action was taken because the evidence of fraud was considered insufficient.
News of the citizenship investigation has emerged just days after federal agents searched Ilhan Omar’s home. According to the US Department of Homeland Security, the search was part of an ongoing federal investigation and was conducted under a search warrant authorised by a court.
The Wall Street Journal reported that agents also seized Omar’s passport, mobile phone, personal computers and notebooks during the search. The operation took place just weeks before the US midterm elections scheduled for November 3. Omar is seeking re-election for a fifth consecutive term in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District.
It is worth noting that Ilhan Omar arrived in the United States in 1995 after spending time in a refugee camp in Kenya and became a US citizen in 2000. She is a prominent progressive leader in the Democratic Party and has long faced criticism from President Trump and his allies.
However, according to the newspaper’s report, no court case seeking to revoke her citizenship has been filed so far. Revoking US citizenship requires judicial proceedings, meaning that the launch of an investigation alone neither cancels citizenship nor automatically paves the way for deportation.
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters following the search of Omar’s home, President Trump said he had nothing to do with the operation and that it was a matter for the Department of Justice.