MULLIN SAYS INVESTIGATORS HAVE STRONG CASE AGAINST ILHAN OMAR IN DECADES-OLD IMMIGRATION FRAUD PROBE
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin made clear Friday that federal investigators are not playing games with Rep. Ilhan Omar. Appearing on the Charlie Kirk Show, Mullin described the ongoing probe into the Minnesota Democrat as a strong case built on evidence, not politics.
Federal agents executed multiple search warrants on the same day they searched Omar’s Washington, D.C., home. Mullin confirmed the operation went well beyond one residence. “She wasn’t – or it wasn’t the only place we served the warrant,” he said. “There was multiple other warrants served on that same day.”
A judge signed off on the warrants. Investigators expect to present the case to a grand jury. Mullin stressed the process was deliberate. “We wouldn’t move forward, and President Trump didn’t want to move forward either, unless we knew that it couldn’t be politically driven,” he said. “Now they want to try making it political driven. This individual wants to try making it about themselves. This was about enforcing once again our nation’s laws, and it’s a strong case.”
The investigation centers on immigration documents submitted by Omar’s family decades ago. The paperwork was completed by her late father when she was a child. Authorities are examining whether false statements were made regarding her age and background when she obtained citizenship in 2000. Lying on those forms can carry permanent consequences. There is no statute of limitations that erases the original fraud if the paperwork was false from the start.
Mullin raised the possibility of racketeering charges under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act if the fraud proves coordinated. “If someone fills out their paperwork illegally, and they claim that they are this person and this is their background, and then underneath that individual, a lot of other people come in,” he said. “And I’m just saying hypothetically across a whole bunch of cases that’s out there, then that can be considered a RICO case, right?”
Omar has denied wrongdoing and called the probe politically motivated. No charges have been filed. The investigation continues with coordination between DHS and the Department of Justice. Multiple relatives have received grand jury subpoenas. Agents seized electronic devices and documents during the searches.
For years, questions have followed Omar about her family’s immigration history and related allegations. Mullin previously stated that she married her brother as part of an effort to bring him into the country. Those claims remain under review as part of the broader case. The administration’s position is straightforward: if the evidence shows she or her family should not have received legal status, the law will be enforced.
The probe has drawn attention because it targets a sitting member of Congress. Mullin rejected the idea that political status shields anyone from scrutiny. The warrants were judicially authorized. The goal, according to the secretary, is a case that can stand on its own facts before a grand jury and, if warranted, in court.
Omar’s office has dismissed the allegations as baseless. Investigators have not publicly detailed every piece of evidence. What is public is that the government has already obtained multiple warrants, seized materials, and issued subpoenas while describing the case as strong enough to move forward.
Sources: CBS News, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Associated Press.