The search of a lawmaker’s home was only one step in a widening federal inquiry.
Investigators are now seeking information from people close to her, increasing the pressure without announcing any charges.
Federal investigators have subpoenaed relatives of Representative Ilhan Omar as they examine her family’s immigration history, Newsmax reported.
The reported recipients include Omar’s sister, Sahra Noor, and at least one other family member.
Their subpoenas follow Monday’s search of the Minnesota Democrat’s Washington home by Homeland Security Investigations.
Agents executed a warrant obtained through the Justice Department and approved by a judge. A subpoena requires information or testimony; receiving one does not mean a relative is accused of wrongdoing.
The New York Times reported the family subpoenas as investigators looked at immigration records dating back decades.
People familiar with the inquiry say agents are examining whether Omar’s late father provided inaccurate information during immigration processing.
Investigators are also reportedly examining questions about Omar’s birth date and her eligibility for citizenship through her father.
Those are allegations under examination, not established findings about Omar or any member of her family.
Omar has consistently rejected accusations of immigration fraud and called the federal search political intimidation.
She said President Donald Trump had targeted her for years and vowed that the investigation would not silence her.
Trump denied ordering the search and said the matter was up to the Justice Department.
The public has not seen the warrant affidavit, the subpoenas, or evidence explaining exactly what investigators believe happened.
The reported subpoenas could help investigators compare family members’ recollections and records with the original immigration paperwork.
Omar came to the United States from Somalia with her family in 1995 and became a citizen in 2000.
Her father, Nur Omar Mohamed, died in 2020, making family documents and witnesses potentially significant to the inquiry.
A separate line of questioning concerns whether records correctly reflected her age when she derived citizenship as a minor.
The existence of that question does not establish that her birth date was changed or that any error was intentional. Investigators have also reportedly reviewed whether Mohamed accurately described his military background in immigration documents.
This week’s developments have unfolded just three weeks before Omar seeks another term in Congress.
Democratic leaders argue that a visible federal search so close to an election risks interfering with the political process.
Federal officials have confirmed the court-authorized search but have offered little public detail about its timing.
Investigators need a lawful basis for their actions, and voters deserve as much transparency as the investigation permits. The subpoenas add a second visible investigative step, suggesting the inquiry extends beyond the materials taken from Omar’s residence.
They are part of the reported immigration investigation, not proof that any separate financial questions have been resolved.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro has said her Washington office is examining Omar’s financial disclosures.
The documents initially listed assets associated with Omar and her husband in a range reaching tens of millions of dollars.
Omar later amended the reported figures downward and attributed the earlier numbers to an accounting error.
Pirro’s financial inquiry and the immigration investigation address different reported conduct. An older inquiry into Omar’s finances began under President Joe Biden’s Justice Department in 2024.
The New York Times reported that prosecutors then examined finances, campaign spending, and interactions with a foreign citizen. A person familiar with that inquiry said it appeared to stall for lack of evidence.
Nothing publicly disclosed shows that inquiry produced Monday’s search or this week’s subpoenas. Newsmax described the new subpoenas as an escalation, and the sequence supports that characterization.
The government has moved from a public home search to compulsory requests for information from family members, Newsmax reported. That progression may yield records or testimony, but it can also leave investigators without evidence supporting a charge.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
