White House border czar says Ilhan Omar could face deportation

White House border czar Tom Homan warned that Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar could be stripped of her American citizenship and deported if federal investigators prove she committed immigration fraud, the Daily Mail, the New York Post, and Fox News reported. Speaking in television interviews, Homan stated that investigators had built a strong case against the Somali-born lawmaker, whose Washington, D.C., home was recently raided by federal agents. Asked directly if the probe could end in her denaturalization and deportation, Homan confirmed that such an outcome was possible. [1][3][5][9]

Federal agents searched the Washington home of the Minnesota lawmaker earlier in the week and seized her cellphone and other personal property, according to the Daily Mail and the New York Post. Homan said that if an individual lies during the naturalization process, legal avenues exist to revoke citizenship. He added that the administration has done so before and asserted that Omar would be held to the same standards as any other citizen. [1][3]

Former President Barack Obama publicly criticized the actions of the administration, as reported by The Guardian, CNN, and the Washington Examiner. Writing on social media, Obama called the federal investigation into the law-abiding elected official appalling and warned that the raid on her home should concern all Americans. The former president stated that the full authority of the federal government was being directed against Omar. [2][6][7]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated that multiple warrants were executed as part of the criminal immigration fraud probe. Attorneys representing Omar previously asked the Department of Justice to return the property taken from her residence, alleging that federal agents exceeded judicial limits during the search. [16][17]

Ilhan Omar has served as the U.S. representative for Minnesota's 5th congressional district since 2019, after serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Donald Trump designated Thomas Douglas Homan as border czar for his second presidential administration in November 2024. Homan previously served as the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from January 2017 to June 2018. [11][12]