Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) said she will leave her Washington, D.C., apartment because of security risks that intensified after federal agents executed a search warrant at her residence last week. The raid was part of an ongoing immigration fraud investigation.
In an interview with MSNBC's Chris Hayes on Wednesday, Omar explained that her address had become public knowledge, making it unsafe for her and her children. “Obviously, I can’t continue to live there … Because our address has been public and with the death threats that I deal with, it’s no longer going to be feasible to be in that house and have my kids visiting off and on, having people track them,” she said.
The congresswoman, who also maintains a home in Minnesota, recounted that she was awakened at 6 a.m. on Oct. 12 to find federal agents had “surrounded her house” in the capital. They presented a search warrant and then conducted a room-by-room search, seizing 17 items, including her phone and other electronic devices.
The Trump administration has alleged that Omar’s father misrepresented her age when she obtained U.S. citizenship in 2000 after the family emigrated from Somalia. Omar has repeatedly denied these claims, calling the investigation a “campaign of political intimidation” in a social media post after the raid.
During the interview, Omar challenged the administration’s approach, questioning why they had not pursued a grand jury or subpoenas if they truly believed a crime had been committed. “If you had so confidently said I’ve committed a crime, why are you not saying in the beginning … we’re going to subpoena people, we’re going to do a grand jury, we’re going to try to find evidence that would lead to an indictment? It’s just it’s all bizarre,” she said.
The Washington Post reported last week that federal officials under the first Trump administration reviewed Omar’s immigration records in 2019 but found no evidence of fraud. President Trump has long targeted Omar in speeches and online posts, and on Wednesday he called her a “sick, very dishonest person … who hates our country,” while also expressing hope that she would be treated fairly.
Omar said she has received widespread support from Democratic colleagues. She also responded to former President Barack Obama’s condemnation of the investigation as “appalling.” She suggested that Obama, having faced similar conspiracy theories, understands the situation clearly. “I think a lot of the conspiracy world that I find myself in is the conspiracy world that was created around him, and so while some people might feel reserved in some of the information that they hear from these people, I think he is acutely capable of seeing what this is,” she said.
Omar expressed confidence in her innocence, telling MSNBC, “I am a person of enormous faith. And I know that … if I continue to live my truth, if I continue to fight for the right things, if I continue to stand up to bullies and people who are carrying out ungodly corruption, I’m going to be OK.”
This development comes amid broader scrutiny of federal actions and public trust. A recent Gallup poll shows public confidence in the federal government dropping to a new low. Meanwhile, some political figures, like former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, have questioned the timing of the raid, suggesting political motivations. The case also echoes other federal probes that have raised concerns about overreach, such as the collection of Omar's trash as part of the investigation.
