WASHINGTON, United States — Federal agents searched the Washington home of Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar early Monday as part of a criminal investigation that reportedly concerns her immigration records, the US Department of Justice has confirmed.
Officers from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a court-authorised search warrant at the Minnesota lawmaker’s residence before dawn on October 12, 2026.
Fox News Digital first reported the operation, citing sources familiar with the investigation.
The Justice Department confirmed that the search had taken place but declined to identify the alleged offences under investigation or disclose what evidence investigators were seeking.
“This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation,” a Justice Department spokesperson said.
Video footage obtained by Fox News and shared on X by journalist Peter D’Abrosca was described as showing the federal operation at Omar’s residence.
@FoxNews VIDEO obtained by @FoxNews Digital from the HSI raid at Ilhan Omar’s DC residence this morning. https://t.co/eJ1jzIpb4N
— Peter D’Abrosca (@pmd_reports) October 12, 2026
It was not immediately clear whether Omar was present when the search took place or whether agents seized documents or electronic equipment.
No criminal charges had been announced against the congresswoman.
Investigation Reportedly Concerns Immigration Records
According to Fox News, the federal investigation concerns possible fraud involving immigration documents completed by Omar’s late father when the family moved to the United States from Somalia during her childhood.
The Justice Department did not independently confirm that description of the investigation.
Omar, 44, was born in Somalia and entered the United States as a refugee in 1995, when she was 12 years old.
She became an American citizen in 2000 and was elected to the House of Representatives in 2018.
Republican politicians and conservative commentators have previously accused her of immigration irregularities, including an allegation that she married her brother to facilitate his immigration to the United States.
Omar has repeatedly denied the allegations, describing them as “disgusting lies”.
The allegations have not been established in court, and federal authorities have not publicly presented evidence supporting them.
The Associated Press, citing two people familiar with the operation, confirmed that Homeland Security investigators had searched the property.
The news agency reported that the precise scope of the criminal investigation remained unclear.
Homeland Security officers stand, during an investigation at the Washington, DC residence of Rep. Ilhan Omar, early Monday, October 12, 2026. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Trump Administration Previously Threatened Investigation
The search followed months of public accusations and threats of investigation directed at Omar by officials in President Donald Trump’s administration.
In May, Vice-President JD Vance said federal authorities would examine allegations that Omar had committed immigration fraud.
“It certainly seems like something fishy is there, but everybody’s entitled to equal justice under the laws,” Vance told reporters.
“So we’re going to investigate it. We’re going to take a look at it. If we think there’s a crime, we’re going to prosecute that crime.”
More recently, White House border adviser Tom Homan acknowledged that federal authorities were investigating Omar, although he did not disclose details of the inquiry.
The Trump administration has repeatedly criticised the congresswoman over her immigration background, political positions, and opposition to federal immigration enforcement policies.
Trump has publicly called for Omar to leave the United States and suggested that she should be deported.
The congresswoman has rejected those demands and accused the president of maintaining an “unhealthy and creepy obsession” with her.
Neither the White House nor the Justice Department has publicly established a connection between Trump’s statements and the judicially authorised search.
Omar Has Frequently Clashed With Trump
Omar represents Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Minneapolis, and is a prominent member of the progressive Democratic lawmakers informally known as the Squad.
She has been among the administration’s outspoken critics, particularly over immigration enforcement, federal spending, and American foreign policy.
Her political disagreements with Trump have intensified amid the administration’s immigration operations in Minnesota, where a substantial Somali-American community resides.
Trump has repeatedly criticised that community and accused its members of contributing to problems in the state.
Omar has condemned those statements and opposed the administration’s deportation policies.
The congresswoman has also reported receiving threats against herself and her family, which she has linked to hostile political rhetoric.
In September, a Minnesota man who had attacked her by spraying vinegar on her was sentenced to one year and two months in prison after pleading guilty to assaulting a federal official.
The attacker, Anthony James Kazmierczak, admitted that his actions were motivated by disagreement with Omar’s political views.
Justice Department Withholds Details of Search
Federal prosecutors have not disclosed the contents of the warrant authorising the search or identified the specific allegations being investigated.
A Justice Department spokesperson told Reuters that the warrant had been obtained through judicial proceedings.
The department did not say whether Omar was a suspect in the investigation or whether the search concerned other individuals.
Omar’s congressional office had not responded to requests for comment from major news organisations at the time of the initial reports.
The search occurred three weeks before the November 3 midterm elections, in which Republicans are seeking to retain control of Congress.
The investigation remains ongoing, and executing a search warrant does not establish that a criminal offence was committed.
