The New York Times admits federal investigators found evidence that Rep. Ilhan Omar’s marriage was a sham to get a green card. This probe started in 2016 under the Obama administration but stopped due to a five-year time limit. The FBI and Department of Homeland Security actually found proof of fraud before the clock ran out.
Officials stated the case stalled because prosecutors concluded the potential felony fell outside the statute of limitations. According to current and former officials cited by Breitbart, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security investigated the marriage in summer 2016, during the Obama administration, and found some evidence that it was fraudulent. This means the government knew something was wrong years ago.
The Evidence That Was Ignored
Investigators looked into whether Omar married Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, a man suspected to be her brother. Federal law bans siblings from marrying, and all 50 states prohibit such unions. During that 2016 probe, sources told Fox News that officials “found some evidence that [the marriage] was fraudulent”. While the report did not outline what that evidence specifically was, the finding stands.
Omar has denied these claims for years. She told Minnesota Public Radio that any insinuations are “absurd and offensive.” Yet federal documents show her real name is Ilhan Nur Said Elmi. The Daily Wire notes she married Elmi in 2009 and they divorced in 2017. The investigation into this marriage began before she ever took her seat in Congress.
Why the Probe Stopped
The 2016 case died because of a technical rule, not because the evidence disappeared. The New York Post reports a source familiar with the probe claimed the “Biden US Attorney in Minnesota shut it down” shortly after taking office in 2021. This suggests the case could have moved forward if the timeline had been different.
Prosecutors said the potential crime was past the five-year window for marriage fraud. However, they noted they could still cite the marriage in a broader family conspiracy case. A source quoted by Breitbart says “[T]hat case stalled chiefly because prosecutors concluded that the potential crime, a felony, fell outside a five-year statute of limitations”. The door remains open for a larger investigation.
A New Investigation Begins
Federal agents have now raided Omar’s home in Washington, D.C. They seized her passport, personal phone, computer, and notebooks. The Daily Caller reports this raid happened on Oct. 12 and targeted her immigration status. Investigators are also subpoenaing dozens of people, including her relatives.
This new probe looks at whether her father lied on immigration forms too. RedState notes the investigation focuses on whether she entered a sham marriage to help a man suspected of being her brother. Former President Barack Obama wrote on X that the government cannot selectively target individuals. But the facts show the government did start looking into her marriage years ago.
The statute of limitations may have stopped the old case, but it does not block a new one. Earlier this month, the Department of Justice under President Donald Trump opened a criminal investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar. They are examining potential false statements on her immigration documents. The question now is whether the new evidence will lead to charges before the next election cycle.
