Close to 200 House Democrats are rallying to protect Rep. Ilhan Omar from further scrutiny following a federal raid on her Washington, D.C., residence earlier this month.
Led by Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., a group of 175 members of the House Democratic Caucus addressed a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Attorney General Todd Blanche. They criticized the investigation into Omar’s immigration history as a politically motivated attack, suggesting it might influence her upcoming reelection campaign.
“Congresswoman Omar is campaigning for reelection in Minnesota’s 5th congressional district in just a week. The news of the search warrant, regardless of its validity, could sway voter opinions, which is why federal law enforcement should avoid such actions during an important electoral period. This kind of interference undermines the right of Minnesotans to a fair election as outlined in the Constitution,” the letter stated.
They expressed their support for Omar, condemning what they described as the misuse of law enforcement against her. “You have already tarnished your offices, and we demand you halt any further actions that might impact the election’s outcome,” they added.
Omar, who is under investigation for potentially lying about her birth year on immigration documents— claims involving her father that date back to when they fled Somalia in the late 90s—might have issued incorrect details that could alter her citizenship application status. If she was still 17 when her father obtained citizenship, she would have qualified automatically; however, if she was 18 or older, as federal officials suspect, she would have needed to apply independently.
The letter from her colleagues referenced the investigation, stating, “Your inquiry into the congresswoman seems to hinge on her father’s immigration filings after fleeing Somalia’s civil unrest when she was just eight, thereby making her a U.S. citizen at seventeen.”
However, the Democrats argued that this does not warrant “a pre-dawn raid on her home for paperwork her father filed when she was a minor.”
Federal agents executed a search warrant at Omar’s residence on October 12, taking several items, including phones and notebooks.
The letter called this “the weaponization of law enforcement to target a sitting Member of Congress” merely 22 days ahead of the elections, labeling it as both unprecedented and unacceptable. It referenced a longstanding Department of Justice policy against taking investigatory action related to a candidate close to an election if delaying wouldn’t compromise an ongoing investigation, a policy Attorney General Blanche had cited as recently as nine months before an election.
The letter further claimed the investigation appeared to be driven by political motivations rather than a genuine pursuit of justice. Omar has dismissed the inquiry as a politically motivated attack against her, one of Trump’s prominent critics. In contrast, some voices, like House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., have called for her to face severe penalties, like jail or deportation, if the allegations hold water.
Fox News Digital reached out to both DHS and the Department of Justice for comments.
