Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has appeared in a brief video message, declaring that she will not be intimidated as federal authorities investigate questions surrounding her citizenship status.
The Minnesota Democrat posted the one-minute video on social media Tuesday night. She thanked supporters who had donated to her campaign and appealed for additional contributions, pointing to what she described as a particularly “challenging time.”
“Hi everyone, Ilhan here,” she said in the video, recorded while she was traveling in a vehicle. “I just wanted to say thank you so much for the support, for everyone who sent $5, $10, $20 — that goes a long way as we fight Trump and his administration for trying to intimidate me and so many people right before the midterm elections.”
Omar then claimed that her political opponents were “running scared” before issuing a defiant response: “We’re not going to be intimidated. We’re not going to be silenced. We’re not going to be scared.”
“I’ll be out there campaigning alongside all of you and making sure that we beat back all of this and that we win in the midterms — win the House, win the Senate and hold this administration accountable,” she added.
Omar closed by again asking supporters to contribute. “It is going to be a very expensive and challenging time,” she said, adding that donations of $5, $10 or $20 would be appreciated.
Her message came as federal officials reportedly said they had a “strong case” to revoke the congresswoman’s citizenship and deport her to Somalia.
Omar was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, to an affluent family. Her family later settled in the suburbs of Washington, DC, before moving to Minnesota around the time she entered high school. She became a US citizen through her father in 2000.
Ilhan Omar returned to social media Tuesday with a brief video in which she said she would not be intimidated amid a federal investigation into her citizenship status. Source: @ilhanmn/TikTok
Federal authorities are examining whether her father, Nur Omar Mohamed, listed her as 17 rather than 18 on citizenship-related paperwork.
The distinction could be significant. If Omar was 18 when her father became a naturalized citizen, she would have been considered an adult and required to complete her own immigration process. If she was still 17, she could have gained citizenship automatically when her father’s application was approved.
Homeland Security Investigations agents were seen searching Omar’s Washington home on October 12 as part of the inquiry.
Federal agents seized her phone, passport and computer and even obtained DNA evidence, according to Fox News.
A source told The New York Post that DNA evidence could prove Omar married her brother to help him obtain a green card.
Several other sources have claimed that the evidence provides prosecutors with grounds to pursue federal immigration fraud charges against Omar.
Roughly a dozen people, including members of Omar’s family, have also received subpoenas, according to three sources familiar with the investigation who spoke to Fox News Digital. Her older sister, Sahra Noor, voluntarily met with federal investigators, the sources said.
It remains unclear what questions Noor was asked or how extensive the interview was. Like Omar, Noor fled Somalia’s civil war as a child. She now lives in Kenya but has been visiting the United States to promote her book, “Salt in the Snow: A Somali Immigrant Story.”
Homeland Security officers were seen searching the congresswoman’s Washington, DC, home last week as part of an investigation into her immigration status
Agents seized Omar’s cellphone, notebooks, personal computers and passport during the search
Omar has not been charged with any crime and strongly denies wrongdoing, saying she is the target of a politically motivated witch hunt.
Border Czar Tom Homan said in an interview with Fox News that investigators had built what he described as a “strong case” against the Somali-born lawmaker.
Asked directly whether the investigation could result in Omar being denaturalized and deported, Homan confirmed that such an outcome was possible.
ALSO READ: Dancing with the Stars Dedication Night Ends in Stunning Twist
‘Of course,’ he replied, explaining that if someone lied during the naturalization process, there was an established legal procedure for revoking their citizenship.
‘We’ve done it before, and it is a long, tedious process, but it’s been done before,’ Homan said.
‘I’ve been involved with those investigations before, and certainly if the evidence points that way, yes, it could happen.’
Homan suggested investigators were increasingly confident in the evidence they had uncovered.
‘I’ve been told we have a strong case,’ he told Fox News on Saturday. ‘We’ll let the evidence see where it leads. She’ll be held to the same standard you and I are held. If she violated law then she’d be held accountable.’
White House border czar Tom Homan warned that Omar could face denaturalization and deportation if investigators uncover immigration fraud, claiming the feds have a ‘strong case’
The border czar also suggested that immigration fraud investigations were intended to send a wider warning about the consequences of breaking American immigration laws.
‘Deterrence is a part of what this administration is doing,’ he said, pointing to efforts to review refugee cases and pursue denaturalization proceedings.
But when pressed on whether federal authorities were investigating Omar for other possible offenses beyond immigration fraud, Homan refused to elaborate.
‘I won’t go there,’ he replied.
US Attorney Jeanine Pirro, however, has previously said that her office will be conducting a probe of the congresswoman’s financial disclosures.
Omar’s 2025 filing had listed assets of between $6 million and $30 million shared with her husband before she amended it to a far smaller range, blaming accounting errors.
The House’s own ethics watchdog had recommended dismissing allegations over the filings last month, a finding Omar’s office has pointed to in her defense.
Omar’s 2025 filing had listed assets of between $6 million and $30 million shared with her husband before she amended it to a far smaller range, blaming accounting errors. She and her husband Mynett are pictured in a photo shared to social media
She has also repeatedly rejected questions about her immigration status as ‘absurd and offensive.’
Her legal team has now demanded the immediate return of property seized during the search, accusing the Justice Department of conducting an unlawful and politically motivated investigation.
Omar’s attorneys insisted there was ‘no legitimate basis for any suggestion that she has violated any law concerning her citizenship status.’
They also accused federal authorities of disregarding longstanding Justice Department practices intended to prevent investigative actions from influencing elections.
‘This vindictive, retributive, and politically motivated criminal investigation into one of the President’s chief congressional critics violates Representative Omar’s constitutional rights and threatens the separation of powers,’ they wrote.
Justice Department spokesperson Emily Covington rejected the accusations, describing the lawyers’ letter as ‘riddled with false allegations and inaccuracies.’
‘Our attorneys and law enforcement partners complied with all court orders and legal obligations, as they always do,’ she said.
Trump previously denied having any involvement in the investigation, telling reporters following the search: ‘I think she’s a terrible person, but that’s really up to the DOJ.’
