Former President Barack Obama has condemned the Trump administration’s investigation into alleged immigration fraud involving Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar, calling it “appalling.” In a statement on X, Obama asserted that Omar legitimately entered the United States as a minor and neither she nor her father misrepresented information on immigration forms.
However, Obama’s own citizenship history casts doubt on his credibility regarding this matter. His administration initiated the probe in summer 2016 into whether Omar married her brother to commit fraud—a claim later confirmed by federal investigators. The FBI and Homeland Security Department found evidence suggesting the marriage was fraudulent, according to current and former officials who detail their law enforcement experience across multiple presidential administrations.
Omar has long defended the allegations as a “right-wing conspiracy theory,” stating federal authorities debunked it during her 2016 election campaign. Prosecutors stalled the case because the potential felony violated a five-year statute of limitations for immigration fraud. Now, the Trump administration has revived scrutiny as part of a broader investigation into Omar’s family’s path to U.S. citizenship after migrating from Somalia as refugees.
Federal agents in Minnesota uncovered evidence that Omar married Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, a British citizen she later divorced in 2017. Investigators confirmed the pair were siblings—a detail Omar admitted was necessary “to get [her brother] papers” for him to stay in the United States and attend school. The marriage occurred when Omar was already a U.S. citizen, complicating her eligibility for citizenship through her father’s naturalization.
U.S. immigration officials issued Elmi a two-year green card based on the marriage but failed to secure permanent status after he abandoned his petition. A federal fraud investigator who reviewed Omar’s file confirmed “there was immigration fraud involved,” according to Border Czar Tom Homan, though details remain under review.
Obama criticized the Trump administration for targeting Omar “seemingly based solely on the unsubstantiated theory that she was actually 18 when her father naturalized.” He emphasized: “It is a basic principle of American democracy that the government can’t selectively target individuals simply because of their political beliefs or what they say.”
The investigation also examines whether Omar’s late father, Nur Omar Mohamed—a former colonel in Somalia’s dictatorship—lied on immigration forms. Officials are evaluating if Omar qualified for citizenship through her father when she was 17 rather than 18, as required under U.S. law.
