Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said federal investigators are examining longstanding allegations involving Rep. Ilhan Omar’s immigration history and warned that deportation could follow if authorities establish that immigration fraud occurred.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said federal authorities are investigating allegations surrounding Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar’s immigration history and suggested the Minnesota congresswoman could ultimately face deportation if investigators establish that fraud was committed in obtaining immigration benefits or citizenship.
Speaking Thursday night with conservative media host Benny Johnson at the Republican National Midterm Convention in Dallas, Mullin said investigators were examining allegations involving Omar’s former marriage as well as broader questions surrounding her family’s immigration history.
“Something’s going to happen… We know that she married her brother to try to bring him into the United States – possibly some illegal activity…” Mullin said.
“It’s not just this case, we’re looking at a number of cases similar to this where we’re looking at there may have been fraud from the get-go.”
The remarks were circulated Friday by Eric Daugherty, with video of Mullin’s comments from the convention floor.
Mullin currently serves as the ninth secretary of Homeland Security after being sworn into the position in March. DHS has since confirmed that an investigation is ongoing while declining to discuss investigative details.
Mullin’s statement that Omar married her brother reflects a longstanding allegation involving Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, whom Omar legally married in 2009 and divorced in 2017. Omar has repeatedly denied that Elmi was her brother or that the marriage involved immigration fraud.
Despite years of public accusations and investigations by journalists, publicly available evidence has not conclusively established that Elmi was Omar’s biological brother. Previous reporting by the Minneapolis Star Tribune, reviewed by PolitiFact, found circumstantial questions surrounding Omar’s marriage history but no definitive evidence proving the sibling allegation.
The allegation has nevertheless received renewed federal scrutiny in 2026. Vice President JD Vance said in May that the Justice Department was examining whether Omar committed immigration fraud, while Omar denied that she had engaged in wrongdoing.
Mullin’s latest remarks went further by publicly asserting that investigators believe Omar married her brother to facilitate his entry into the country and suggesting authorities are examining whether irregularities extended to the broader family immigration process.
The controversy dates back years and has included claims about Omar’s family identity and entry into the United States.
Journalist David Steinberg published an extensive examination of the allegations involving Omar and members of her family, alleging that the family used different identities during the asylum process.
Steinberg alleged:
“In 1995, Ilhan entered the United States as a fraudulent member of the ‘Omar’ family.
“That is not her family. The Omar family is a second, unrelated family which was being granted asylum by the United States. The Omars allowed Ilhan, her genetic sister Sahra, and her genetic father Nur Said to use false names to apply for asylum as members of the Omar family.
“Ilhan’s genetic family split up at this time. The above three received asylum in the United States, while Ilhan’s three other siblings — using their real names — managed to get asylum in the United Kingdom.
“Ilhan Abdullahi Omar’s name, before applying for asylum, was Ilhan Nur Said Elmi.
“Her father’s name before applying for asylum was Nur Said Elmi Mohamed. Her sister Sahra Noor’s name before applying for asylum was Sahra Nur Said Elmi. Her three siblings who were granted asylum by the United Kingdom are Leila Nur Said Elmi, Mohamed Nur Said Elmi, and Ahmed Nur Said Elmi.”
Those assertions, also published through Power Line, remain allegations rather than findings established through a criminal conviction or publicly released federal adjudication.
Omar became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2000. Because she is a citizen, deportation would not occur simply on the basis of an allegation. Federal authorities would first have to establish a legal basis for revoking citizenship, such as proving that naturalization had been unlawfully obtained through fraud or material misrepresentation, before removal proceedings could become possible.
Mullin said the broader federal examination is not limited to Omar, indicating that investigators are reviewing other cases in which authorities suspect fraud may have occurred at the beginning of the immigration process.
His comments mark the latest escalation in federal scrutiny surrounding allegations that have followed Omar for years but have never resulted in criminal charges establishing that she married a sibling or obtained citizenship fraudulently.
The investigation now places those claims before federal authorities, with Mullin signaling that DHS intends to determine whether evidence exists to move beyond allegations and support formal legal action.
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