Federal authorities have renewed their investigation into Representative Ilhan Omar’s 2009 marriage, focusing on whether it was entered into fraudulently to secure immigration benefits for a man suspected of being her brother, according to current and former officials familiar with the case. The inquiry, involving the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, initially took place in 2016 during the Obama administration, when investigators found some evidence suggesting the marriage might have been fraudulent.
The marriage in question was between Omar, a Minnesota Democrat and U.S. citizen, and Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, a British citizen whom she divorced in 2017. Federal law prohibits marriages entered into solely for the purpose of obtaining a green card, and state law bars marriage between siblings, though it is unclear whether any state-level investigation occurred. Officials have not publicly disclosed what evidence, if any, conclusively links Elmi as Omar’s brother.
The 2016 investigation stalled largely due to the expiration of a five-year statute of limitations for pursuing marriage fraud charges, which are felonies, according to several law enforcement sources. However, the case has resurfaced under the Trump administration as part of a broader probe into the immigration history of Omar’s family, who arrived in the United States as refugees from Somalia.
The renewed scrutiny became public in October when federal agents searched Omar’s Washington, D.C. residence. The congresswoman has labeled the investigation a politically motivated attack, and Democratic lawmakers have condemned it as an improper interference aimed at influencing the upcoming elections. Her spokesperson called the allegations “baseless” and a “desperate political smear.”
Aside from the marriage issue, investigators have examined whether Omar’s late father provided false information on immigration paperwork and whether Omar herself qualified for citizenship through her father, given questions about her age at the time. Officials referred to Omar by the name Ilhan Nur Said Elmi in a recent court filing, drawing attention to its similarity with her 2009 husband’s name. President Donald Trump suggested the two could be siblings, a claim Omar firmly denied.
Reports that Omar may have married a brother surfaced during her 2016 campaign for state legislature amid conservative media scrutiny and discussions within the Somali American community. At the time, federal officials in Minnesota investigated the matter, and documents suggest Elmi had obtained a two-year conditional green card based on the marriage. When asked for further proof of the marriage’s legitimacy to adjust his status, Elmi reportedly left the United States and abandoned his petition.
Omar’s personal history reflects a complex marital timeline. She has described three marriages: an initial Islamic ceremony in 2001 to Ahmed Hirsi, without legal paperwork; a 2009 marriage to Elmi; and a later marriage to Hirsi, whom she legally wed in 2018 and divorced in 2019. Omar stated that she and Elmi had been separated for years before their divorce. In 2020, Omar announced her marriage to Tim Mynett, a political consultant.
Federal agencies, including the FBI and the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota, have declined to comment on ongoing investigations. The Department of Homeland Security has not responded to requests for information. The evolving inquiry continues to attract attention due to Omar’s prominence as a vocal critic of the Trump administration and her role as one of the first Somali Americans elected to Congress.