If Ilhan Omar Married Her Brother, She Violated State and Federal Laws

Sen. Ted Cruz Comments on Ilhan Omar’s Marriage Allegations

Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) recently addressed Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-Minn.) revival of a claim made by former President Donald Trump, suggesting she married her brother. In his remarks, Cruz outlined three state and federal laws that could be violated if the claim were validated.

“If this is true, Mr. Omar would be subject to criminal charges under three different laws,” he stated on X, responding to a White House post. “Yes (Mr. Omar married her brother).”

This controversy has roots in Omar’s 2016 state House campaign, where the original allegation claimed the Somali-born legislator married her brother to secure U.S. citizenship.

Cruz referred to the federal Marriage Fraud Act, which categorizes deliberately marrying someone to bypass immigration laws as a felony. This could lead to up to five years in prison, a hefty fine of $250,000, and possible deportation.

Additionally, as a former Texas attorney general, Cruz emphasized that marrying her brother could also violate Minnesota’s incest laws, which are classified as felonies and can carry a sentence of up to ten years.

He also raised concerns about potential tax evasion if Omar had filed a joint tax return while not legally married.

During a recent rally in Pennsylvania, Trump echoed these claims, telling the crowd, “If I married my sister to get citizenship, do you think I would have about two hours, maybe less? She married my brother to get into the country. So she’s here illegally. She should totally get out of the country.”

The allegations were fueled by a post from the official White House account, showing what appeared to be part of a marriage license application for Ahmed Nur Saeed Elmi, hinting at him being her second spouse.

As reported by various sources, Omar was born in Somalia and came to the U.S. in 1995 after her family sought asylum. She obtained citizenship in 2000 and has been married three times—first to Ahmed Abdisaran Hirsi in 2002, then to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi in 2009, before divorcing and remarrying Hirsi. In 2020, she married political aide Tim Mynett.

According to a fact check, records confirm that in 2009, Omar was legally married to Ahmed Nur Saeed Elmi, a British citizen. They reportedly underwent a religious divorce in 2011.

Trump indicated at the rally that Omar’s marriage to her brother was a strategy to achieve U.S. citizenship, although the rumor has been circulating for some time, suggesting that the intent was to help her brother enter the U.S. legally.