Justice Dept says raid was part of ongoing federal investigation involving Homeland Security Investigations
\n Washington DC
\nUS authorities conducted a predawn raid on Monday on the Washington-area home of Democratic US Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, an outspoken critic of Donald Trump who has been the target of political insults by the Republican president, as part of an ongoing investigation, the Justice Department said.
\nA person familiar with the investigation said it is related to alleged immigration fraud, and part of the probe concerns the Somali-born lawmaker\u2019s immigration paperwork, which was filled out by her late father when she was a child.
\n\u201cToday in the Washington, DC area, Homeland Security Investigations executed a judicially authorised search warrant secured by the Department of Justice. This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal investigation,\u201d a Justice Department spokesperson said in an email.
\nHomeland Security Investigations is part of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
\nA spokesperson for Omar did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
\nTom Homan, the Trump administration\u2019s border czar, told Fox Business Network that the Justice Department is leading the investigation with the Department of Homeland Security. Homan declined to get into the specifics of an ongoing criminal investigation.
\nThe raid was carried out a little more than three weeks before the November 3 midterm elections, when Trump\u2019s party will be trying to defend its narrow majorities in the US Congress. Omar, a prominent progressive who is running for reelection, represents a safe Democratic district. She won reelection in 2024 by a margin of 50 percentage points.
\nMinnesota Democrats condemned the raid.
\n\u201cAmericans see this for what it is,\u201d Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat, wrote on social media. \u201cPresident Trump is abusing his power to go after political opponents weeks before an election.\u201d
\nJustice Department policy bars federal prosecutors and agents from timing any action to affect the outcome of any election or benefiting a candidate or political party. The department has historically avoided taking investigative steps against political candidates within about 60 days of an election.
\nInvestigations of Trump critics
\nThe Justice Department during Trump\u2019s second term in office has investigated and brought charges against a range of Trump\u2019s perceived political enemies.
\nIt has charged former FBI Director James Comey, New York state Attorney General Letitia James and Trump\u2019s former national security adviser turned critic John Bolton. It has also investigated Democratic lawmakers who urged the US military not to follow illegal orders, Democratic Senator Adam Schiff and Federal Reserve officials Jerome Powell and Lisa Cook.
\nThe case against James and one of the two brought against Comey were thrown out by a federal judge. Bolton pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced later this month. Grand juries and federal judges have stymied several other probes.
\n\u2018Creepy obsession\u2019
\nOmar has faced political insults from Trump, who has cast the Somali American community as a threat to Minnesota in a burst of anti-Somali and anti-Muslim rhetoric. Omar has called Trump\u2019s focus on her an \u201cunhealthy and creepy obsession.\u201d
\nLast week, Trump called Michigan\u2019s Democratic nominee for US Senate \u2014 Abdul El-Sayed, who is Muslim \u2014 a \u201cRADICAL Extremist\u201d and \u201cTerrorist Sympathiser\u201d while offering support for El-Sayed\u2019s Republican opponent, Mike Rogers.
\nCivil rights advocates have criticised Trump\u2019s rhetoric toward minorities and immigrants, including when he previously called Somalis \u201cgarbage.\u201d
\nTrump in February said that Omar and Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, who is also Muslim, should be \u201cinstitutionalised\u201d and sent back to \u201cwhere they came from.\u201d
\nBoth lawmakers had criticised Trump during his State of the Union address as he touted his administration\u2019s hard-line immigration crackdown and its immigration enforcement actions.
\nOmar has said she and her family have faced death threats, which she attributes to \u201chateful political rhetoric,\u201d especially from Trump.
\nLast month, a Minnesota man who squirted vinegar on Omar was sentenced to one year and two months in prison after pleading guilty to assaulting a federal official. Anthony James Kazmierczak admitted to attacking Omar because he disagreed with her progressive political views.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Justice Dept says raid was part of ongoing federal investigation involving Homeland Security Investigations Washington DC US authorities conducted a predawn raid on Monday on the Washington-area home of Democratic US Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, an outspoken critic of Donald Trump who has been the target of political insults by the Republican president, as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":572105,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-572093","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n