Rep. Ilhan Omar blasted Republican lawmakers and commentators for reviving a years-old allegation that she committed immigration fraud by marrying her brother, calling the renewed focus “sick” and politically motivated as the claim spreads again in conservative media and online. (Fox News)
The allegation — which Omar has repeatedly denied — has circulated for years, often amplified during election cycles or flashpoints in the national immigration debate. In recent days, it re-emerged after remarks by Tom Homan, a Trump-era immigration official now serving in an immigration enforcement role, who suggested that authorities were reviewing records related to the claim. (Fox News)
What Republicans are saying
The latest wave of attention includes comments from Sen. Ted Cruz, who argued that if wrongdoing were proven, Omar could face criminal exposure under federal marriage-fraud statutes and other laws. (New York Post)
Conservative outlets framing the story have described the effort as an “investigation” into whether Omar committed immigration fraud, pointing to Homan’s comments as the basis for renewed scrutiny. (Fox News)
Omar’s response
Omar responded by dismissing the accusations as baseless and obsessive, saying she isn’t concerned about political opponents revisiting the claim and portraying it as part of a broader pattern of attacks on her identity and background. (The Guardian)
In an interview published this week, Omar also described former President Donald Trump’s repeated personal attacks on her as “an unhealthy and creepy obsession,” warning that inflammatory rhetoric about her has historically contributed to a climate of threats and harassment. (The Guardian)
Background on the allegation
The core claim asserts that Omar’s former spouse, Ahmed Elmi — a British national she married legally — is actually her brother, and that the marriage was used to circumvent immigration rules. Omar has denied this, and multiple reports over the years have described the allegation as unsubstantiated and repeatedly recycled online. (Hindustan Times)
Recent coverage in international outlets noted that the story’s resurgence follows renewed public comments by Trump and allied voices about Omar’s past and her family. (Deccan Herald)
Omar’s marital timeline
Public reporting outlines a complex personal history that has been at the center of political controversy: Omar had an earlier religious marriage, later entered a legal marriage with Elmi, divorced, and then married political consultant Tim Mynett. (New York Post)
What’s actually known right now
At this point, the most concrete development is the political messaging around the issue — not a public disclosure of evidence or a formal charging decision. Reports citing Homan describe a review of “files” or “records,” but details about the scope, status, or authority of any inquiry have not been publicly documented in a way that allows independent verification. (Fox News)
Meanwhile, fact-check style coverage and commentary pieces have emphasized that the claim has been repeatedly debunked or unsupported, even as it continues to circulate. (Hindustan Times)
Political stakes
The renewed push comes as immigration remains a central issue in national politics and as Omar — a prominent progressive Democrat and frequent target of conservative media — continues to draw intense attention from political opponents. (The Guardian)
For Omar and her allies, the episode is another example of personal attacks being used to delegitimize a political figure. For her critics, it is framed as a transparency and enforcement question — though the underlying allegation remains disputed and, according to several accounts, unsupported by publicly available evidence. (Hindustan Times)
