Ilhan Omar Deportation Threat Escalates After Tom Homan Confirms DHS Investigation on Fox

White House border czar Tom Homan confirmed on Sunday, 13 September, that the US Department of Homeland Security is conducting an investigation involving Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar. The inquiry follows allegations by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin that Omar married a man he identified as her brother to help him enter the United States.

The inquiry has been described as an 'ongoing criminal investigation.' Homan did not disclose evidence, charges or specific investigative findings publicly, and declined to say whether authorities had evidence of immigration or naturalisation fraud. He said, however, that 'things are going on.'

Ilhan Omar Deportation Claims Follow Mullin Allegations

The comments came days after Mullin made the allegation during an interview with conservative podcaster Benny Johnson at the Republican National Convention in Dallas.

'We know that she married her brother to try to bring him into the United States,' Mullin said. He identified Omar's former husband as Ahmed Nur Said Elmi and said Elmi now lives in London.

Mullin also referred to possible 'illegal activity' involving Omar's family immigration history. He said the investigation was ongoing and that deportation could follow if officials established that immigration documents had been falsified or that fraud had occurred.

'If we can prove that maybe you shouldn't have been here in the first place, we'll deport you,' Mullin said.

The claims remain unproven allegations. Omar has repeatedly denied that Elmi was her brother or that their marriage was arranged to evade US immigration law.

Earlier reporting has not conclusively established the relationship. The Minneapolis Star Tribune said its investigation could 'neither conclusively confirm nor rebut' the allegation that Elmi was Omar's sibling. PolitiFact likewise reported that the available evidence did not establish the claim.

That is an important distinction. Mullin alleged that Omar married Elmi, whom he described as her brother. Public records establish the marriage, but they do not, on their own, establish the claimed family relationship or prove marriage fraud.

Asked by host Jacqui Heinrich whether ICE was investigating Omar, Homan confirmed that it was.

'I'm confirming that ICE is, yeah, look, I said months ago that it's something that's been reported and needs to be looked at,' Homan said.

He declined to discuss what evidence investigators had or what investigative steps were being taken.

'I know things are going on, but I can't give specifics of what's happening. But we'll see,' Homan added.

Publicly, the case currently consists of the allegations and confirmation that an investigation is underway, with few details about the evidence.

Why Ilhan Omar Deportation Would Require Denaturalisation

Omar is a naturalised US citizen. That means she could not simply be deported while retaining her citizenship.

If the government established that she unlawfully obtained citizenship through concealment of a material fact or wilful misrepresentation, it could ask a federal court to revoke her naturalisation.

Under the framework cited by the US Department of Justice, the government would generally need to establish that a fact was misrepresented or concealed, that the conduct was wilful, that the fact was material and that citizenship was obtained as a result.

Only after citizenship was revoked could removal proceedings based on non-citizen status become relevant.

Homan pointed to that process when Heinrich asked how Omar could face deportation as a naturalised citizen.

'Denaturalisation is a process, it's a very serious process,' he said. 'So if someone lies through that process to becoming a citizen and we can prove they, in fact, lied or misrepresented themselves, we can absolutely denaturalise them.'

He said the government had pursued denaturalisation cases during his 40 years in immigration enforcement.

The comments describe a possible legal mechanism, not a finding that Omar's citizenship was obtained unlawfully. No court complaint, formal charge or final government finding was identified in the public reporting reviewed.

The dispute centres partly on Omar's 2009 marriage to Elmi. She later married political consultant Tim Mynett. Her critics have used the marriage history to support the sibling allegation, while Omar has rejected the claim.

Mullin's public discussion of an active inquiry has increased pressure on the administration to explain what investigators are examining. Homan's comments were more limited, but his confirmation moved the matter beyond speculation about whether federal officials were reviewing the allegations.

The investigation could turn on records, testimony and whether prosecutors or immigration authorities can establish that any alleged misrepresentation was material to Omar's immigration or naturalisation process.

For now, no public evidence has established that Omar committed marriage or immigration fraud. Homan's confirmation that an investigation is underway raises the stakes, but an investigation is not a finding of wrongdoing, and any attempt to strip Omar of her citizenship would require a separate legal process.