House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, a Minnesota Republican, called for Representative Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. to be jailed and deported if a federal investigation proves she or her father lied on citizenship documents. Emmer, the third-ranking leader in the House, said Omar should "serve time in the gray bar motel and then get the hell out of here" if the allegations are proven true.
Emmer's comments came as federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations raided Omar's Washington, D.C. home early Monday morning. Agents seized her cellphone and other personal possessions. The probe focuses on allegations that Omar or her father misrepresented her birth year on immigration documents.
The investigation centers on Omar's citizenship process when her family fled Somalia in the late 1990s. Her father became a U.S. citizen in 2000. At that time, Omar was believed to be 17 years old, which would have automatically qualified her for citizenship as a minor under U.S. law.
However, recent allegations suggest Omar was actually 18 when her father became a citizen. If she was 18, she would have been required to complete the citizenship process independently, rather than automatically qualifying through her father. Federal investigators have subpoenaed relatives as part of their inquiry.
Omar, a member of the House "Squad" alongside Representatives Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich. and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. denounced the probe following the raid. She said on X that the investigation is "an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement."
Omar further claimed that President Donald Trump has "targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns" for ten years and characterized the raid as "the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation."
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. joined Omar and other Democrats in criticizing the federal probe as political persecution aimed at one of Trump's vocal detractors.
Emmer told Fox News Digital that "there have been rumors for years" about Omar's immigration history. He maintained that if she is determined to have lied to gain citizenship, she should "go back to the front of the line."
