United States authorities carried out a search operation in the early hours of Monday (12) at the home of Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar, in the Washington region. Representative of the state of Minnesota and critic of Donald Trump, the congresswoman has been the target of attacks from the president.
According to the Department of Justice, the action is part of an ongoing investigation.
A person familiar with the case said the investigation involves suspicions of immigration fraud. Part of the investigation concerns the Somali-born parliamentarian's immigration documents, which were filled out by her father, now dead, when she was a child.
In a post on social media, Omar wrote that the government is being used to persecute a political enemy of the president. "For ten years, Trump has attacked me with baseless lies and smear campaigns," he said. "This is just the latest escalation in their campaign of political intimidation. I will not remain silent."
Other Democrats have accused Trump and his administration of abusing power. Omar, 44, is seeking a fifth term in the U.S. House in the midterm elections, scheduled for November 3.
When announcing the operation, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice stated that agents from the Homeland Security Investigation carried out a search warrant authorized by the Court in the Washington region. The agency is part of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE), the American immigration agency.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, appointed by Trump for the position, had said last month that "something will happen" in the investigation into Omar's family's entry into the US. "If we can prove that you shouldn't have been here in the first place, we will deport you," he told conservative podcaster Benny Johnson at the time.
This Monday's operation took place just over three weeks before the midterm elections, in which the Republican Party is trying to maintain control of Congress. One of the main representatives of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, Omar represents an electoral district considered safe for the party. In 2024, she was re-elected with an advantage of 50 percentage points.
In a joint statement, House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other members of the party's House leadership said the operation was "deeply disturbing" and raised serious questions about the federal government's instrumentalization against Trump's opponents.
The statement says Republicans have relentlessly pursued Omar. According to Democrats, Trump's "mass deportation machine arrived at the home of an elected member of Congress and her family." The text promises to demand accountability for what it calls abuse of power.
Minnesota Democrats also condemned the operation.
“Americans are seeing this for what it is,” Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz wrote on social media. "President Trump is abusing his power to go after political opponents weeks before an election."
Department of Justice rules prohibit federal prosecutors and agents from planning actions to influence the outcome of elections or benefit candidates and parties. Historically, the body avoids taking investigative measures against candidates in the approximately 60 days before a vote.
During Trump's second term, the Justice Department investigated and brought charges against several of the president's political opponents.
The ministry brought charges against former FBI Director James Comey, New York State Attorney General Letitia James, and John Bolton, Trump's former National Security Advisor who later became critical of the president. It also investigated Democratic congressmen, Democratic Senator Adam Schiff and Lisa Cook, director of the Fed.
'SCARY OBSESSION'
Omar is a constant target of attacks from Trump, who has portrayed the Somali-American community as a threat to Minnesota amid a wave of statements against Somalis and Muslims. The deputy defines the president's attention as a "sick and frightening obsession."
Last week, Trump called Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate candidate from Michigan and a Muslim, a "radical extremist" and a "terrorist sympathizer" while declaring support for his Republican rival, Mike Rogers.
Civil rights advocates criticize Trump's rhetoric against minorities and immigrants, including when he called Somalis "trash."
In February, the president said that Omar and Democratic congresswoman Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, also a Muslim, should be "institutionalized" and sent back to "where they came from." The two had criticized Trump during the State of the Union address, in which he extolled his government's hard line against immigration and immigration enforcement operations.
Omar says that she and her family have received death threats, which she attributes to "hateful political rhetoric", especially Trump's statements.
Last month, a Minnesota man who threw vinegar on Omar was sentenced to one year and two months in prison after pleading guilty to assaulting a federal officer. Anthony James Kazmierczak admitted to attacking the congresswoman for disagreeing with her progressive political positions.
