JD Vance Says DOJ Investigating Ilhan Omar Over Alleged Immigration Fraud
Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that the Department of Justice is actively investigating Rep. Ilhan Omar over alleged immigration fraud claims that have circulated around the congresswoman for years.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Vance said he did not want to prejudge the outcome of the investigation but suggested federal officials believe the allegations warrant serious scrutiny.
“I don’t want to prejudge an investigation,” Vance said. “It certainly seems like something fishy is there, but everybody’s entitled to equal justice under the laws.”
“So we’re going to investigate it. We’re going to take a look at it. If we think that there’s a crime, we’re going to prosecute that crime, and that’s something the Department of Justice is looking at right now,” he added.
The comments represent the strongest public indication yet from the Trump administration that federal authorities are examining long-running allegations involving Omar’s immigration history and personal relationships.
Earlier this year, Vance publicly accused Omar of having “definitely committed immigration fraud,” an accusation strongly denied by the congresswoman’s office.
Omar chief of staff Connor McNutt dismissed the claims as “a ridiculous lie,” but questions surrounding the Minnesota Democrat’s personal background have followed her since her first congressional campaign in 2018.
Much of the controversy centers on Omar’s past marriage to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, a British citizen whom some critics and bloggers have alleged may actually be her brother. Omar and Elmi married in 2009 and later divorced in 2017.
The congresswoman has denied wrongdoing and has rarely discussed the relationship publicly beyond describing it as brief and largely long-distance.
Additional scrutiny has focused on Omar’s complex marital history involving Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi, with whom she had children before the pair were legally married years later.
The allegations first gained traction through Somali community message boards and later spread through media investigations and online political discussions. Some reports cited claims from individuals within Minnesota’s Somali community who alleged Omar had privately referred to Elmi as her brother while discussing immigration paperwork.
No criminal charges have been filed against Omar, and the Justice Department has not publicly confirmed the existence of any formal investigation.
Vance’s remarks come as the administration continues expanding efforts tied to immigration enforcement and investigations into alleged fraud involving federal systems and benefits programs. The vice president has taken a leading role in several administration initiatives targeting what officials describe as abuse of immigration and public assistance systems.
Omar has remained one of the Trump administration’s most outspoken congressional critics, frequently clashing with President Trump and Republican lawmakers over immigration, foreign policy, and national security issues.