A text message found on the phone of US Representative Ilhan Omar’s sister reportedly helped investigators secure approval to search the Minnesota Democrat’s Washington, DC, home, as federal authorities investigate allegations involving her decades-old immigration records.
According to a New York Times report cited by the New York Post, three people familiar with the matter said investigators obtained Omar’s sister Sahra Noor’s phone earlier this year and used messages found on it to seek judicial approval for the search.
Federal agents searched Omar’s home on October 12, seizing her phone, passport, notebooks and personal computers, according to media reports. The contents of the reported text message have not been made public, and its precise significance remains unclear.
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What is the investigation into Ilhan Omar about?
The investigation centers on whether Omar or members of her family provided false information in immigration or naturalization documents when they arrived in the United States as refugees from Somalia in the 1990s.
A Reuters report on the investigation said a sealed search warrant listed conspiracy, immigration fraud and false statements on immigration paperwork among the potential offences being investigated.
Omar arrived in the US as a refugee in 1995 and became a naturalized American citizen in 2000. Investigators are examining whether she or her relatives misrepresented information during the immigration process, Reuters reported, citing people familiar with the case.
Separately, the Associated Press reported that federal authorities seized Omar’s phone and issued more than a dozen grand jury subpoenas, including to some relatives, as part of the inquiry.
No publicly announced criminal charge against Omar has been reported in connection with the investigation.
Omar calls raid politically motivated
Omar’s office has rejected the investigation, describing the search as an abuse of federal power.
In an official statement issued on October 12, her office accused the Trump administration of weaponizing law enforcement against political opponents and said the congresswoman had done nothing wrong.
The investigation has drawn scrutiny because the search took place weeks before the November midterm elections, in which Omar is seeking re-election.
What happens next?
Investigators are continuing to examine Omar’s immigration history and related records. The reported text message could form part of the evidence reviewed by authorities, but its contents and legal significance remain unknown.
The search and investigation do not establish wrongdoing. Any allegations against Omar would need to be tested through the legal process.
