Homeland Security Secretary Mark Whanaye Mullin stated on Thursday that federal authorities are investigating Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) over allegations that she entered into a fraudulent marriage to facilitate immigration. Mullin asserted that Omar, who was born in Somalia, allegedly married her brother in an effort to bring him to the United States, a claim the congresswoman has repeatedly denied.

Mullin made the remarks during an interview with conservative podcaster Benny Johnson at the GOP midterm convention in Dallas. He indicated that Omar’s alleged ex-husband, who is said to be the subject of the marriage in question, currently resides in London. The investigation remains ongoing, but the Homeland Security chief suggested that it may uncover illegal activity that could lead to Omar’s deportation.

“There may be more to this, the whole family migration and possibly some illegal activity for them to come to the United States to begin with,” Mullin said. He emphasized that the inquiry is not politically motivated and stated that if the authorities find evidence of wrongdoing, action will be taken regardless of the person's political status. “If you lied about certain things about your application, there’s no expiration to that. If we can prove it—that you shouldn’t have been here in the first place—we’ll deport you,” Mullin added.

Ilhan Omar became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2000 at the age of 17. She has denied the allegations that she married her brother, calling such claims “absurd and offensive.” Omar’s chief of staff, Connor McNutt, dismissed the accusations as a distraction from broader political issues facing the Democratic Party.

Omar has been married twice. Her first marriage was to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, a UK citizen, in 2009, a union she described as brief and characterized by periods of separation. The second marriage was to Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi in January 2018, following the dissolution of her marriage to Elmi in late 2017. There are no records indicating that Omar and Elmi have children together.

The earliest public claims linking Omar and Elmi in a controversial way emerged about a decade ago. Notably, a 2019 report identified an Instagram photo showing Elmi holding a newborn girl he referred to as his niece, dated June 2012, coinciding with the birth of Omar’s youngest child. That photo was later removed.

The nature and scope of the current federal investigation remain unclear, as officials have not released further details. Omar and her team continue to reject the allegations, while Homeland Security officials maintain that any findings of immigration fraud will be addressed under the law.