A senior official inside President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) is signaling that renewed scrutiny may be coming for Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) over what she described as “serious questions” surrounding the Somali-born Democrat congresswoman’s naturalized U.S. citizenship.
During a recent appearance on “The Benny Show,” Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon addressed longstanding allegations tied to Omar’s immigration history.
Dhillon warned that fraud in the naturalization process can result in citizenship being revoked.
“Look, Ilhan Omar has some legal issues regarding her citizenship, and I’ll just leave it at that,” Dhillon said.
When pressed for clarification, Dhillon expanded on the legal standard involved:
“It’s a truism of immigration law that if you commit fraud in the course of obtaining your citizenship… if you lie about your marriage status on which your citizenship depends or your familial status or what have you, if you fake any of those documents or you lie, that’s grounds for denaturalization.
“So I think it’s been credibly alleged that there are serious questions about the circumstances of the paperwork around that naturalization.
“I’ll just leave it at that.”
Dhillon noted she is not personally leading an investigation into Omar.
However, she emphasized that denaturalization is a legitimate legal remedy where fraud is proven.
She also said that naturalized citizenship is a privilege that must be protected from abuse.
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Longstanding Allegations
Omar, who was born in Somalia and became a U.S. citizen in 2000, has faced years of scrutiny from critics over the circumstances of her family’s immigration and her personal relationships.
Among the most serious allegations are claims that she married her brother in 2009 in order to facilitate his immigration.
The fake marriage accusation is one that, if proven, could constitute immigration fraud.
Omar has denied those claims.
Congressional Republicans have attempted to obtain additional records related to the matter.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) has been among those pushing for subpoenas.
“Democrats and Republicans teamed up to kill our motion to subpoena the records,” Mace said in a January press release.
“Washington did what it always does: protect its own.
“The American people are sick of backroom deals and selective accountability.”
“If these allegations are true, they raise grave concerns involving potential marriage fraud, immigration fraud, and violations of federal and state law,” Mace added.
“No one, no matter how politically protected, should be above the law.”
Broader Minnesota Fraud Probe
The scrutiny comes amid a broader federal investigation into alleged large-scale fraud schemes within Minnesota’s Somali community.
In January, President Donald Trump announced that federal authorities were investigating what he described as a multi-billion-dollar welfare fraud operation.
Posting on Truth Social on January 26, President Trump wrote:
“… a major investigation is going on with respect to the massive 20 Billion Dollar, Plus, Welfare Fraud that has taken place in Minnesota, and is at least partially responsible for the violent organized protests going on in the streets.
“Additionally, the DOJ and Congress are looking at ‘Congresswoman’ Illhan Omar, who left Somalia with NOTHING, and is now reportedly worth more than 44 Million Dollars.
“Time will tell all,” Trump added.
“Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DJT”
Omar has denied wrongdoing and has characterized the allegations against her as politically motivated attacks.
For now, Dhillon’s remarks stop short of announcing formal charges or proceedings.
But her warning underscores that denaturalization remains a legal tool and that, under the Trump administration, immigration fraud allegations involving elected officials may no longer be dismissed as off-limits.
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