WASHINGTON, United States — Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has accused President Donald Trump of political intimidation after federal agents home searched her Washington
Omar, who represents Minnesota in the House of Representatives, rejected the allegations surrounding the investigation on Monday, October 12, 2026, and declared that she would not be silenced.
“This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation,” Omar said in a statement. “I will not be silenced.”
She accused Trump of subjecting her to false allegations and personal attacks for a decade, characterising the search as an effort to use federal investigative powers against a political adversary.
She alleging that the operation was part of a campaign to use law enforcement against his political opponents.
I’m ok. Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement. For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation.
I will not be silenced.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) October 12, 2026
The congresswoman’s office issued a separate statement condemning the operation and denying that she had committed any offence.
“The Congresswoman has done nothing wrong,” the statement said.
Her representatives also accused the administration of repeatedly making inflammatory allegations about Omar and said federal law enforcement should not be used to intimidate political opponents.
The response followed a search by Homeland Security Investigations agents at Omar’s residence in Washington, which the Justice Department said had been authorised by a federal judge.
The department confirmed that the operation was connected to an ongoing criminal investigation but declined to identify the suspected offences or provide evidence supporting the allegations.
No charges against Omar had been announced.
Trump Denies Directing the Investigation
Trump denied ordering the search, despite previously suggesting that members of his administration were examining allegations involving Omar.
Speaking to reporters after the operation, the president said federal investigators were scrutinising the congresswoman but insisted that decisions concerning the case belonged to the Justice Department.
“I have nothing to do with it,” he said.
Trump nevertheless continued to criticise Omar, describing her as dishonest and questioning her character.
At a campaign rally in Ohio later that day, he attacked her Somali background while addressing supporters.
“She’s telling us about the Constitution, and she comes from one of the worst countries anywhere on the planet,” Trump said, according to The Associated Press.
Members of the audience responded with calls for her deportation.
The remarks followed another campaign appearance in Tennessee, where Trump had criticised Omar and suggested that Vice President JD Vance and other administration officials were investigating her.
Vance has previously alleged that Omar committed immigration fraud, an accusation she has consistently denied.
In May, the vice president told reporters that the administration was examining the allegations and would consider prosecution if investigators concluded that an offence had occurred.
He did not publicly present evidence establishing wrongdoing.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin subsequently acknowledged an existing investigation involving the congresswoman’s immigration history.
Speaking to conservative commentator Benny Johnson in September, Mullin suggested that investigators were examining whether her family’s immigration documents contained false statements.
Democratic Leaders Demand Accountability
The search and Omar’s response prompted condemnations from senior Democrats, who questioned the timing of the operation and demanded an explanation from federal authorities.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, and Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar issued a joint statement accusing the administration of using federal agencies against its political adversaries.
They described the search as “deeply disturbing” and said it raised concerns about the Justice Department’s independence.
The lawmakers also cited Trump’s longstanding criticism of Omar and the proximity of the November congressional elections.
They pledged to seek transparency and accountability from the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security.
Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the senior Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, separately accused the administration of attempting to influence an election through a politically sensitive investigation.
In a statement issued by the committee’s Democrats, Raskin questioned why investigators had searched the home of a sitting member of Congress while she was campaigning for re-election.
He also challenged the decision to pursue allegations reportedly connected to paperwork completed by Omar’s father decades earlier, when she was a child.
Representative Ro Khanna of California criticised the operation, expressing concern that federal law enforcement was being used against political opponents and Muslim Americans.
Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington and other Democrats similarly condemned the search and called for scrutiny of the administration’s conduct.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights organisation, also accused the administration of political persecution.
The organisation’s criticism focused on the use of federal investigative powers against Omar, one of the first Muslim women elected to the United States Congress.
Questions Over Investigation’s Election Timing
The political dispute has also focused on longstanding Justice Department practices intended to prevent criminal investigations from improperly influencing elections.
Federal prosecutors have traditionally been advised to exercise particular caution before undertaking public investigative actions involving candidates close to an election.
The convention is frequently described as a 60-day period during which officials generally avoid steps that could be perceived as interfering with electoral contests.
It is not an absolute legal prohibition, and investigative actions may proceed when circumstances warrant them.
Omar is seeking another term representing Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District in the November 3 midterm elections.
According to The Washington Post, Justice Department officials consulted the department’s Public Integrity Section before proceeding with the search.
The section advises on investigations involving public officials and other politically sensitive matters.
Federal authorities have not publicly explained whether they considered the department’s election-related guidance or identified circumstances requiring the search to occur during the campaign.
A judicial warrant establishes that a court found sufficient grounds for investigators to search a specified location for evidence.
It does not constitute a finding that the person whose property is searched has committed a crime.
Immigration Allegations and Years of Political Conflict
The investigation reportedly concerns immigration documents prepared by Omar’s late father when the family entered the United States after fleeing Somalia’s civil war.
CBS News reported, citing sources familiar with the inquiry, that investigators were examining the congresswoman’s childhood immigration records.
The Justice Department has not publicly confirmed that those documents are the subject of the investigation.
Omar, who became a naturalised American citizen in 2000, has repeatedly denied claims of immigration fraud.
Conservative commentators have also circulated allegations about her previous marriage and immigration status, including an unsubstantiated claim that she married a relative to facilitate immigration benefits.
Omar has rejected the accusations, describing them as false and offensive.
Her disputes with Trump began during his first presidential term.
In 2019, the president criticised Omar and three other Democratic congresswomen of colour, suggesting that they should return to the countries from which they came, despite three having been born in the United States.
At a subsequent campaign rally in North Carolina, Trump supporters directed chants demanding that Omar be sent out of the country.
The congresswoman has repeatedly said Trump’s rhetoric has contributed to threats against her.
In January 2026, a man assaulted Omar during a public meeting in Minneapolis, spraying her with liquid from a syringe while she was discussing immigration enforcement.
The substance was subsequently identified as containing apple cider vinegar.
The assailant, Anthony James Kazmierczak, pleaded guilty and received a 14-month prison sentence.
That attack was unrelated to the current federal investigation.
Omar has also been a prominent critic of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies, particularly operations affecting communities in Minnesota.
The state is home to a large Somali American population, whose members have repeatedly been criticised in Trump’s public remarks.
The administration has defended its immigration enforcement activities as necessary to address fraud and violations of federal law.
Federal Investigation Remains Unresolved
The Justice Department has not publicly identified the documents or other materials collected from Omar’s residence.
It has also declined to disclose the full scope of the investigation.
The congresswoman’s office maintains that she has committed no crime, while federal officials have said the search was legally authorised and formed part of an ongoing criminal inquiry.
Omar continues to serve in Congress and campaign for re-election.
The allegations involving her immigration history remain unproven, and authorities have not announced criminal charges against her.
