Obama denounces Trump administration's pursuit of Ilhan Omar as federal agents raid her home in citizenship investigation

Former President Barack Obama condemned the Trump administration’s legal pursuit of Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar as federal agents raided her Washington home on Monday and seized her phone in a citizenship investigation. Omar has called the allegations “disgusting lies” and described the investigation as a witch hunt intended to intimidate one of President Donald Trump’s fiercest critics in Congress. Democrats have called it an abuse of power, weeks before an election.

The investigation is examining whether Omar or her late father provided false information on immigration paperwork 26 years ago. The Wall Street Journal reported that the administration aims to build a case to strip her of U.S. citizenship and ultimately deport her.

Omar arrived in the United States from Somalia in 1995 as a child and became a citizen through her father’s naturalization in 2000. Records indicate she was 17 at the time; investigators are seeking evidence that she was a year older and therefore was not automatically eligible for citizenship.

Obama, who for years faced false claims from Trump that he was not an American citizen, wrote on X that “transparent efforts by any administration to intimidate someone should outrage all Americans.” The Washington Post reported that the first Trump administration reviewed similar allegations in 2019 but found insufficient evidence to pursue a full investigation.

Separately, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said her office was investigating Omar’s financial disclosures. Last month, a congressional watchdog recommended dismissing allegations of misconduct related to those filings.