Barack Obama said the federal government is targeting Congresswoman Ilhan Omar because she criticised President Donald Trump.
On Sunday, Obama wrote on X that Omar is under a “so appalling” federal criminal investigation “simply because she’s an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump.” He added: “The full weight of the federal government is being brought down on a law-abiding elected official because she has dared to criticise the president.”
Last week, Homeland Security agents searched Omar’s Washington, D.C., home as part of a probe into her immigration status. Omar was born in Somalia and moved to the US as a child. Reports say the investigation focuses on whether she lied about her age upon entering the country in 1995 and if that affects her American citizenship.
Obama said his understanding is that Omar’s father became a naturalised citizen when she was 17, not yet an adult, which then granted her citizenship. He wrote: “Now the Administration is actively trying to deport Congresswoman Omar, seemingly based solely on the unsubstantiated theory that she was actually 18 when her father was naturalised, and therefore is not a citizen.”
He warned: “If this becomes the new normal, there’s no reason to believe it will stop with her – or that future presidents, in either party, won’t do the same.”
According to US Citizenship and Immigration Services, a child born outside the US becomes a citizen if at least one parent is a citizen by birth or naturalisation, or if the child is under 18, a lawful permanent resident, and living in the custody of a citizen parent.
The White House defended the investigation. Spokeswoman Lauren Bis said in a statement sent to the BBC: “Unlike Joe Biden, President Trump has not weaponised the Department of Justice against his political foes. The Department is focused on restoring law and order and keeping Americans safe.”
Trump has repeatedly claimed his own federal investigations are politically motivated. He denied any connection to the probe of Omar, calling her a “terrible person” and a “complainer”.
The search of Omar’s home reportedly resulted in the seizure of her phone, computers, notebooks, and passport. Her lawyers have demanded their return, arguing the seizure violated judicial restrictions designed to protect her work as a federal lawmaker. They also alleged the agents failed to notify Omar or the House of Representatives’ general counsel before the search and prevented her from contacting her lawyer for more than an hour.
In 2023, Republicans removed Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee after comments and tweets about Israel drew bipartisan criticism.
Omar said Trump has targeted her for years with “baseless lies and smear campaigns” and called the investigation “the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation.”
The Justice Department could seek to “denaturalise” Omar, revoking her citizenship if it proves material lies in the naturalisation process.
The raid has fuelled partisan divisions. Democrats say it amounts to presidential interference with Congress. Republicans argue Omar should be treated like any other citizen under the law.
Obama did not mention his own history with Trump’s false “birther” claims during his presidency, when Trump repeatedly questioned his citizenship despite Obama releasing birth records showing he was born in Hawaii.
The stakes of this investigation touch on the limits of political power and the legal definition of citizenship in the United States.
According to Joy Online.
