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DHS Secretary Mullin confirmed criminal investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar's 2009 marriage, raised deportation threat

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin confirmed on September 11, 2026 that DHS is investigating Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) over a long-standing, unproven allegation that her 2009 marriage to a British citizen was immigration fraud, saying deportation was possible if fraud is proven. Two days later, White House border czar Tom Homan told Fox News the matter was an ongoing criminal investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations unit that could trigger denaturalization proceedings. No charges have been filed.

Jurisdiction
Federal
Location
Washington, D.C.

Abuses documented

Actors

On September 11, 2026, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin publicly confirmed that the department is investigating Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) over a years-old allegation that her 2009 marriage to British citizen Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, whom critics allege is her brother, was immigration fraud. Speaking with a conservative commentator at a Republican convention in Dallas, Mullin said, "We know that she married her brother to try to bring him into the United States," and said Omar and others could be deported if fraud is proven, adding investigators are "looking at ... a lot of cases that are very similar to this." DHS said it does not comment on specific investigations but added that "no one, including members of Congress, are above the law."

Two days later, on Fox News, White House border czar Tom Homan went further, describing the matter as an "ongoing criminal investigation" carried out by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations unit and said the fraud allegation could trigger denaturalization proceedings against Omar. Neither official disclosed evidence or announced charges.

The investigation is the latest in a string of federal actions against Omar, a frequent critic of the administration: Vice President JD Vance said in May 2026 that the Justice Department was investigating the same marriage allegation alongside Omar's family finances, and Homeland Security Investigations agents covertly surveilled one of her town halls in August 2026. Omar has repeatedly denied the marriage-fraud allegation, which has circulated in conservative media since 2019 and has not been substantiated in public records or court filings.

Why we recorded this

The power to investigate is supposed to follow evidence, not political targets. Here, the head of a federal department and the administration's border czar used on-the-record public statements to confirm and characterize an ongoing criminal investigation into a sitting member of Congress who has long criticized the administration, and to publicly float deportation and denaturalization before any charges exist. Steering law-enforcement attention toward a named critic and pronouncing its likely outcome undermines the independence that keeps investigations free of political pressure.

Sources

  1. Ilhan Omar investigation: DHS chief reveals new details about probe — Newsweek primary accessed September 14, 2026
  2. Homan confirms 'criminal' investigation involving Ilhan Omar, says he knows 'things are going on' — Fox News primary accessed September 14, 2026

See also