Obama condemns federal investigation of Rep. Ilhan Omar

Former President Barack Obama accused the Trump administration of politically targeting Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar after federal agents searched her Washington, D.C., home as part of an investigation into her immigration status.

In a Sunday post on X, Obama called the inquiry “so appalling” and said the government was acting against a law-abiding elected official because she had criticized President Donald Trump. He said Omar came to the United States with her father at age 12 and automatically became a citizen when her father was naturalized five years later, while she was still under 18.

U.S. media reports have linked the investigation to questions about whether Omar’s listed age differed from her actual birth date when she arrived in the country in 1995. Obama characterized the claim that she was already 18 when her father became a citizen as unsubstantiated and alleged that the administration was seeking grounds to revoke her citizenship and deport her.

The White House denied that the inquiry was politically motivated. Spokeswoman Lauren Bis told the BBC that the Justice Department was focused on “restoring law and order and keeping Americans safe.” Trump said the investigation had “nothing to do” with him.

Omar, who was born in Somalia and represents Minnesota, has called the investigation an escalation of a years-long campaign of political intimidation by Trump. Any effort to revoke her citizenship would require the Justice Department to prove that material falsehoods were used in the naturalization process.