A federal investigation into Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar is reportedly shifting focus from her controversial 2009 marriage to Ahmed Elmi, a UK national, to questions surrounding her immigration records and citizenship status. Sources familiar with the inquiry suggest that potential misrepresentations on immigration paperwork, rather than the marriage itself, are more likely to draw scrutiny.

Omar, who was born in Somalia and came to the United States as a child, married Elmi in 2009. The marriage ended in divorce in 2017 and has long been the subject of rumors claiming Elmi is her brother and that the union was intended to secure his residency in the U.S. However, legal experts note that even if the marriage were proven to be a sham, Omar could not be deported because she is a U.S. citizen. Similarly, any criminal charges related to a fraudulent marriage are unlikely, as the statute of limitations, set at five years, expired after the divorce.

Instead, investigators appear more interested in how Omar obtained her citizenship. Omar claims she automatically became a U.S. citizen at age 17 when her father, Nur Said Mohamed Elmi, was naturalized. Nur Said, who died in 2020, was previously described as an educator, but revelations about his military service have emerged in connection with the probe.

Federal officials have suggested that if evidence surfaces showing that Omar or her father provided false information during the citizenship application process, the government could pursue a denaturalization case to revoke her citizenship. This would represent a more significant legal challenge than any claims related to her marriage.

A key point of contention concerns Omar’s age at the time of naturalization. Under U.S. immigration law, children must be under 18 to automatically gain citizenship through a parent’s naturalization. Some critics have argued that Omar was actually 18 or 19 years old when she became a citizen in 2000, which would disqualify her from automatic citizenship and potentially constitute fraud.

After a social media video brought this claim to public attention in 2019, the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library reportedly adjusted Omar’s official birth year from 1981 to 1982. Current congressional records list her birth as October 1982, which would have made her 17 during her naturalization—consistent with her claim—but she has not publicly released a birth certificate to confirm this.

Attempts to resolve the questions surrounding her family ties have included calls for DNA testing to clarify whether Ahmed Elmi is related to her. However, sources predict such requests will likely be refused, with Omar dismissing them as politically motivated.

Neither Omar nor Elmi has responded to requests for comment about the investigation or the allegations. The inquiry highlights ongoing challenges in verifying personal histories for public figures who immigrated as children under complex circumstances.