Homan confirms push to denaturalize Ilhan Omar
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
White House border czar Tom Homan said Rep. Ilhan Omar could be denaturalized and deported if investigators find immigration fraud.
The inquiry touches a sitting congresswoman and has drawn charges of political targeting.
Background
Ilhan Omar is a U.S. Representative from Minnesota (D-Minnesota); her family arrived in the U.S. from Somalia in 1995, and she became a citizen in 2000 through her father's naturalization. The inquiry reportedly stems from paperwork her father submitted at that time, including a question of whether she was 17 or 18. Tom Homan is the White House border czar. The case is trending because federal agents searched Omar's Washington, D.C., home and Homan publicly confirmed denaturalization is on the table; previous inquiries into her citizenship found no evidence of fraud.
How it unfolded
- 1995Omar's family arrived in the U.S. from Somalia, per allegations that Omar or her father misrepresented information on immigration documents.
- 2000Omar became a U.S. citizen through her father's naturalization, claiming to be 17; investigators are examining whether she was actually 18.
- Oct 14, 2026Members of Omar's family received subpoenas relating to the investigation.
- last week (relative to Oct 2026)Homeland Security Investigations raided Omar's residence in Washington, D.C., seizing her phone, notebooks, personal computers and passport.
- Oct 18, 2026Homan said on Fox News that Omar could be denaturalized and deported if investigators find immigration fraud.
- Oct 19, 2026Reports recapped Homan's comments; former president Barack Obama accused the Trump administration of targeting Omar.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Homan said that if someone lies during naturalization there is a process to denaturalize them, that he has been told investigators have a strong case, and that Omar will be held to the same standards as anyone else.
- Support
- President Donald Trump said he understands investigators are looking at Omar very carefully and called her 'totally crooked' and 'a terrible person.'
- Caution
- Former president Barack Obama said federal agents raided Omar's home and seized her phone to uncover a 'nonexistent smoking gun from 20 years ago.'
- Party
- Omar has denied the allegations and called the investigation politically motivated; Democratic leaders accused the Trump administration of being politically motivated.
- Official
- The White House denied weaponizing the Justice Department, saying the investigation is focused on enforcing the law, and Trump and Vice President JD Vance both denied any involvement.
Still unverified
Details of the inquiry have not been officially made public; sources with knowledge say it stems from paperwork Omar's father submitted in 2000, and the Justice Department has not publicly identified the specific allegations behind the warrant. Homan said he was unfamiliar with the details of the investigation but had been told investigators had a strong case. Conservative conspiracy theorists have alleged Omar's father lied about her age, pointing to a birth year change from 1981 to 1982; Omar says the change corrected another error, and fact-checking websites found no evidence it was for malicious reasons. Omar has not been charged with a crime.