Rep. Ilhan Omar responded defiantly on Thursday, May 21, to Vice President JD Vance’s announcement that the Justice Department is investigating allegations of immigration fraud against her.
The Minnesota Democrat told reporters outside the Capitol that she welcomed the scrutiny.
“If they want to indict me, let’s see what they’ve got,” Omar said. She added that the claims were not new. “He’s been doing that for a while,” she said, referring to President Donald Trump’s administration.
Vance confirmed the Justice Department review on Tuesday during a White House press briefing.
He said the department is examining longstanding questions about Omar’s past marriages and possible immigration violations.
“It certainly seems like something fishy is there,” Vance said. He added that investigators would review the facts. “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.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Marital History
The allegations center on Omar’s marital history, as records show she entered a religious marriage with Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi in 2002.
The couple had children but did not legally marry at the time. In 2009, she entered a legal marriage with Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, a British citizen.
Omar and Hirsi later married legally in 2018, following her 2017 divorce from Elmi.
Critics have claimed for years that Elmi is Omar’s brother and that she married him to help him obtain legal immigration status.
Omar has strongly denied those claims, calling them “bigoted lies” and saying they are rooted in racism and Islamophobia. No charges have ever been filed in the case.
The questions first emerged during Omar’s 2018 run for Congress. She has declined to release some family records for privacy reasons. Previous reviews did not take any legal action on the matter.
Omar, 44, came to the United States as a child refugee from Somalia. She was elected to the House in 2018 and has built a national profile as a leading progressive voice on issues such as immigration reform and Israel-related criticism.
Also Read: Ilhan Omar Under Fraud and Immigration Lies Investigation as JD Vance Make Announcement
Her office has dismissed the renewed investigation as politically motivated. Omar’s defenders say the Trump administration is targeting her for criticizing the president and his policies.
Some Democrats worry the DOJ under the new administration could be used to target political opponents.
The case is part of a wider effort by the Trump administration to pursue fraud in immigration and federal programs. Vance has been leading parts of that anti-fraud work.
Omar has faced separate questions in Minnesota over the Feeding Our Future scandal. That case involved more than $250 million stolen from a child nutrition program.
Some state Republicans have asked about her connection to the MEALS Act, which she supported in 2020 and expanded meal reimbursements during the pandemic.
Omar has said she had no involvement in any fraud and that the legislation had support from both parties, including the Trump administration at the time. No charges have been filed against her in that matter.
On Thursday, she appeared unfazed by the latest development. She has survived previous ethics complaints and campaign finance questions during her time in office. She is signaling that she does not expect any case to succeed.
Americans who support the investigation, including President Trump and his allies, say the allegations deserve a full and fair examination with updated evidence.
On the other hand, her die-hard supporters are calling it another round of harassment aimed at silencing a prominent Muslim lawmaker and critic of the administration.
