Ilhan Omar’s Staff Had Her Birth Year Changed in Official Records After Winning Congress, Raising New Questions About Immigration History

Newly highlighted records show that Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar’s congressional staff requested a change to her birth year in an official Minnesota legislative database shortly after she was elected to Congress, renewing scrutiny of the congresswoman’s immigration history amid an ongoing federal investigation.

The records reveal that Omar’s birth year was changed from 1981 to 1982 in May 2019, several months after she began serving in the U.S. House of Representatives. The change has attracted attention because of questions raised by political opponents about her age when she became an American citizen in 2000.

According to correspondence involving the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, Omar’s congressional staff contacted the agency on May 17, 2019, requesting that her birth year be corrected.

The library had previously listed Omar’s birthday as October 4, 1981. Following the request, the database was updated to reflect October 4, 1982, which remains the date listed in her official congressional biography.

The correspondence also indicates that Omar’s staff were working to correct her birth year across several other public sources, including Wikipedia and the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

Library employees acknowledged the request and confirmed that the information had been updated. The correspondence does not establish that the agency independently examined Omar’s original birth certificate or federal naturalization documents before making the correction.

The timing of the change has become a central focus of Republican activist AJ Kern, who previously ran against Omar and has spent years questioning the congresswoman’s immigration records.

Kern argues that Omar’s congressional office requested the correction shortly after a video circulated online raising questions about her age when she obtained American citizenship.

The distinction between the two birth years could be important because Omar has said she became a naturalized American citizen in 2000 at age 17.

Under certain provisions of immigration law in effect at the time, children could acquire citizenship through a naturalized parent if they satisfied specific requirements before turning 18.

Kern and other critics have questioned whether Omar met those requirements, suggesting that an earlier birth year could complicate the timeline surrounding her father’s naturalization and her own citizenship.

However, the existence of conflicting birth years in public records does not establish that Omar falsified immigration documents or obtained citizenship improperly. Determining her legal status would require examining the relevant federal records and the specific laws applicable when she became a citizen.

Omar was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, and fled the country’s civil war with her family. After spending several years in a refugee camp in Kenya, the family arrived in the United States in 1995 and eventually settled in Minnesota.

Her official congressional biography identifies her birth date as October 4, 1982, and states that she became an American citizen in 2000.

The newly publicized correspondence confirms that congressional staff requested the change to the Minnesota legislative record. It does not, by itself, determine which birth year appeared on Omar’s original immigration paperwork.

Kern has pursued the issue through formal complaints and legal challenges, arguing that federal authorities should independently verify the congresswoman’s citizenship history.

One lawsuit challenging Omar’s eligibility to serve in Congress was dismissed, with the court concluding that the issues raised could not be resolved through the legal proceeding brought by Kern.

The dismissal did not establish that Omar committed immigration fraud, nor did it produce a judicial finding that her citizenship was improperly obtained.

The renewed attention comes just one day after federal Homeland Security Investigations agents searched Omar’s Washington, D.C., residence as part of an ongoing criminal investigation.

Federal officials confirmed that investigators executed a judicially authorized search warrant Monday morning but declined to disclose the precise evidence being sought.

The investigation reportedly involves immigration documents associated with Omar and her late father, although authorities have not publicly explained which records are under examination.

The search has intensified speculation about whether federal investigators are reviewing the same citizenship questions that have circulated among Omar’s political opponents for years.

No federal agency has publicly confirmed that the 2019 birth-year correction is the central subject of the investigation.

Omar responded to the search by accusing President Trump of using federal law enforcement to intimidate political opponents. She rejected the allegations surrounding her immigration history and described the investigation as part of a longstanding political campaign against her.

The Minnesota Democrat has consistently denied accusations of immigration fraud and maintained that her citizenship and personal history have been misrepresented by political adversaries.

President Trump and members of his administration have repeatedly criticized Omar, particularly over her immigration background and opposition to federal immigration enforcement policies.

The latest developments have also generated criticism from Democratic leaders, who question the timing of the investigation just weeks before the November 3 midterm elections.

Republicans calling for additional scrutiny argue that questions involving citizenship documentation should be examined regardless of whether the individual holds elected office.

The dispute has raised broader questions about the reliability of biographical information maintained by government agencies and the process used to correct records submitted by public officials.

The Minnesota Legislative Reference Library’s correspondence shows that staff accepted the requested correction to Omar’s birth year. However, the library’s biographical database is not the federal system responsible for determining citizenship or maintaining naturalization records.

That distinction is important because changing a publicly available biography would not automatically alter the information contained in federal immigration files.

Omar has served in Congress since January 2019, representing Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, which includes Minneapolis and surrounding communities.

She is seeking another term in the House while facing renewed scrutiny of her immigration history and the federal investigation surrounding her records.

As of Tuesday, prosecutors had not announced criminal charges against Omar, and federal authorities had not released findings establishing that her citizenship was obtained unlawfully.

The newly highlighted 2019 correspondence establishes that her congressional staff requested a change to her birth year after she took office. Whether the discrepancy reflects an earlier clerical error or has any significance for her immigration history remains unresolved.

With federal investigators now examining matters related to her immigration records, the controversy surrounding Omar’s citizenship documentation is receiving renewed national attention. The next developments will depend on what investigators establish through official records rather than the conflicting dates that have circulated in public biographies.