Tom Homan, President Donald Trump’s border czar, said in a Monday appearance on Newsmax that the administration is looking into Representative Ilhan Omar over allegations of 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. He added that “the statute of limitation became an issue in the last four years when this was first brought up.”
Homan said officials are now “pulling the records” and “pulling the files,” describing the matter as something he plans to pursue this week. He also said an investigator he knows at Homeland Security Investigations believes the case warrants review, adding, “we’ll see.”
Why It Matters
Trump has repeatedly claimed that Omar married her brother—an allegation she has denied.
Omar was born in Somalia in 1982. Her family fled during civil war when she was 8 years old, spending several years in a refugee camp in Kenya before receiving asylum and arriving in the United States in 1995. She became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2000, at age 17.
At a rally on Tuesday, Trump again criticized Omar and repeated the claim that she “married her brother in order to get in.”
Omar responded on X, writing: “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 that DHS treats marriage-fraud allegations seriously and warned that those who engage in marriage fraud can face consequences including fines, arrest, jail time, and deportation. She added that the agency will remain focused on identifying suspicious patterns and protecting the integrity of the immigration system.
Immigration enforcement has remained a major focus of the Trump administration. DHS announced Wednesday that enforcement operations have resulted in more than 605,000 deportations since January 20, and said 1.9 million people have voluntarily self-deported since January 2025.
Trump’s remarks about Omar—described as the first Somali American elected to Congress—come as the administration has intensified rhetoric targeting Minnesota’s Somali community. Omar represents Minnesota’s 5th congressional district.
During a Cabinet meeting earlier this month, Trump said of Somali immigrants, “They contribute nothing. I don’t want them in our country,” and added, “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: He repeated his allegation that Omar “married her brother,” and suggested she should be removed from the country.
