175 House Democrats demand DOJ and DHS end Ilhan Omar immigration probe

Right · 2More than 170 House Democrats, 175 according to Fox News, have sent a letter to Attorney General Todd Blanche and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin demanding they drop the investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar's (D-Minn.) immigration history. 1 2 Right · 2Breitbart says the letter was led by Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.). Fox News says Jayapal led it. 1 2 Right · 2The letter condemns the raid on Omar's Washington, D.C., home as a "weaponization" of federal law enforcement. Federal agents executed a judicially authorized search warrant on Oct. 12, according to Fox News. 2 1

Right · 2The Democrats say the action came 22 days before the election, which they call "unprecedented and unacceptable". They say DOJ policy is to avoid investigative steps affecting a candidate close to an election if delay would not jeopardize a criminal investigation. They say Blanche has invoked that policy as far back as nine months before an election. 2 1 Right · 1The letter says news of a search warrant, "whether properly predicated or not", could affect voters' decisions in Minnesota's 5th district, where Omar is seeking re-election. It says the interference strips Minnesotans of a free and fair election. 2 Right · 2The letter says the probe reportedly concerns paperwork her late father filed after she fled Somalia's civil war at age eight, which made her a U.S. citizen at seventeen. It argues this does not justify a pre-dawn raid. 1 2

Right · 1The letter also says the first Trump administration reportedly examined the matter in 2019 and found insufficient evidence of wrongdoing. It cites Vice President J.D. Vance's March statement that she "definitely committed immigration fraud", Mullin's remark that "something's going to happen", and a since-deleted post by Stephen Miller's wife reading "Promise made, promise kept." The letter says these show a pre-determined political outcome. Breitbart reports these points. 1 Right · 2Fox News describes the allegation differently: that Omar or her father lied about her birth year on immigration paperwork. It says that if she was 17 when her father became a citizen she would have qualified automatically, but if she was 18 or older, which federal officials now suspect, she would have needed her own application. Breitbart says the probe reportedly covers the longstanding allegation that she married her brother, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, to help him obtain immigration status. 2 1 Right · 1Breitbart reports that a court filing from U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro called Omar "Ilhan Nur Said Elmi", and that Omar answered "Not to my knowledge" when asked whether she was related to her ex-husband. It also reports that investigators reportedly took 17 items and collected DNA, and that Pirro's office is separately investigating possible financial crimes. 1

Right · 1Jayapal told the New Republic that if Democrats win the House majority, they would "actively and aggressively investigate this case" and probably pursue legislation barring funds for the investigation. Raskin suggested Democrats may cut funding to certain agencies. 1 Right · 1Fox News says Omar has dismissed the probe as a political hit job against one of Trump's loudest critics. It adds that House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) has called for her to be jailed and deported if the accusations are proven true. Fox News Digital said it had asked DHS and DOJ for comment. 2