Markwayne Mullin says federal investigation is examining allegations of immigration fraud by the Minnesota congresswoman, who has long denied the claims.
US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has claimed that Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota “married her brother” in an alleged scheme to bring him into the United States, and suggested she could face deportation if investigators prove wrongdoing.
Speaking on Thursday to conservative podcaster Benny Johnson at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, Mullin said the matter is the subject of an “ongoing” federal investigation.
“We know that she married her brother to try to bring him to the United States,” Mullin stated. “We know he lives now in London.” He was referring to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, whom Omar married in 2009. Both are originally from Somalia.
Mullin added that authorities are also looking into the broader circumstances of Omar’s family migration. “There may be more to this, the whole family migration and possibly some illegal activity for them to come to the United States to begin with,” he said. “But all of this, we’re investigating.”
The secretary insisted any action would not be political. “If we actually move a case forward, it’s not a political case. It’s actually a case because they did things wrong,” Mullin said. He noted that immigration fraud has no statute of limitations: “If you lied about certain things about your application… There’s no expiration to that. If we can prove it-that you shouldn’t have been here in the first place-we’ll deport you.”
Omar Marriage Allegations Resurface:
The claims centre on Omar’s 2009 marriage to Elmi. Conservative critics have for years alleged that Elmi is her biological brother and that the marriage was entered into for immigration purposes. Omar has repeatedly and forcefully denied that Elmi is her brother or that she committed any immigration fraud.
Omar arrived in the United States as a refugee from Somalia’s civil war in 1995 and became a naturalized US citizen in 2000 at the age of 17. She has since divorced Elmi, remarried, and serves as a prominent progressive voice in Congress, frequently clashing with President Donald Trump and his administration over immigration, foreign policy and other issues.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesman later declined to discuss the specifics of any investigation, stating that the agency does not comment on ongoing probes or potential future actions. “No one, including members of Congress, are above the law,” the spokesman said.
Omar Faces Potential Denaturalization Scrutiny:
As a naturalized citizen, Omar cannot simply be deported. US law requires a formal denaturalization process in court, in which the government must prove that citizenship was obtained through willful misrepresentation or concealment of material facts. Only after citizenship is revoked could deportation proceedings potentially begin. Such cases are rare and carry a high evidentiary burden.
Previous Trump administration officials, including border czar Tom Homan and Vice President JD Vance, have publicly referenced the allegations and indicated interest in examining them. No criminal charges or denaturalization proceedings against Omar have been announced.
The renewed focus comes amid the Trump administration’s broader emphasis on immigration enforcement and scrutiny of naturalization cases involving alleged fraud. Critics of the administration have described the targeting of Omar as politically motivated, while supporters argue that no one should be exempt from investigation if evidence of past fraud exists.
Omar’s office has not issued an immediate public response to Mullin’s latest comments. The investigation remains ongoing, with no timeline or further details released by DHS.