Tom Homan, President Donald Trump’s border czar, said during a Newsmax appearance on Monday that the administration is investigating Representative Ilhan Omar for alleged immigration fraud.
“I just got advised by a fraud investigator the other day on that. I asked the question, can we review the files? You know, there was immigration fraud involved,” Homan said on Newsmax. “The statute of limitation became an issue in the last four years when this was first brought up.”
He continued, “Pulling the records now, pulling the files, and we’re looking at it. But this fraud investigator, who I know personally, one of the best fraud investigators in HSI, Homeland Security Investigations, said there’s no doubt he’d review the file. So, I’m running that down this week as a matter of fact, and we’ll see.”
Newsweek reached out to Omar for comment.
Why It Matters
Trump has claimed that Omar allegedly married her brother, a claim that she has repeatedly denied. Omar was born in Somalia in 1982, and her family fled the nation during a civil war when she was 8 years old. They spent four years in a refugee camp in Kenya before being granted asylum and arriving in the United States in 1995. She became a naturalized U.S. citizen at the age of 17 in 2000.
During a rally on Tuesday, Trump said, “Ilhan Omar, whatever the hell her name is. With her little turban. I love her. She comes in, does nothing but b****, she’s always complaining. She comes from a country, where, I mean it’s considered about the worst country in the world, right? They have no military, they have no nothing, they have no parliament. They don’t know what the hell parliament means. They have nothing, they have no police, they police themselves, they kill each other all the time. I love it. She comes to our country, and she’s always complaining about, ‘The Constitution allows me to do this.’ We ought to get her the hell out. She married her brother in order to get in.”
Omar said on X, “Trump’s obsession with me is beyond weird. He needs serious help. Since he has no economic policies to tout, he’s resorting to regurgitating bigoted lies instead. He continues to be a national embarrassment.”
What To Know
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek, “DHS takes any and all marriage fraud allegations very seriously. Our message is clear: do not engage in marriage fraud or you will face the consequences of American justice including severe fines, arrest, jail time and deportation. DHS will remain vigilant in identifying suspicious patterns and will continues to work tirelessly to protect our fellow Americans. Marriage fraud undermines the integrity of America’s immigration system.”
Immigration enforcement has been a key focus of the Trump administration. The Department of Homeland Security announced on Wednesday that the agency’s enforcement operations have resulted in more than 605,000 deportations since January 20. The agency said 1.9 million people have voluntarily self-deported since January 2025.
Trump’s comments about Omar, the first Somali American elected to Congress, come as the administration has escalated rhetoric about Minnesota’s Somali community. Omar represents the state’s 5th congressional district.
“They contribute nothing. I don’t want them in our country,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting earlier this month. “Their country is no good for a reason. Your country stinks and we don’t want them in our country.”
What People Are Saying
Representative Ilhan Omar, on X: “No matter what words Trump throws at me, I will not let that deter my work for the people of the Fifth District. Trump should know by now that he should never pick a fight with a Somali woman.”
President Donald Trump, at a rally on Tuesday: “She married her brother. Can you imagine if Donald Trump married his sister? She’s a beautiful person. If I married my sister to get my citizenship, do you think I would last for two hours, or would it be something less than that? She married her brother to get in, therefore she’s here illegally. She should get the hell out.”
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