Trump Says Ilhan Omar Could Go to Jail as She Resurfaces With Plea for Cash After Federal Raid

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Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota resurfaced Tuesday night for the first time since federal agents searched her Washington, D.C., home, posting a campaign video that thanked donors and asked supporters to keep the money coming. “Please continue to support us. It’s going to be a very expensive and challenging time,” Omar said in the selfie-style clip, filmed from the back seat of a moving vehicle. “So we appreciate whether you’re able to send $5, $10, $20.”

The video landed the same day President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that Omar could face jail time if the allegations against her prove true. “Well, she could be. She could also go to jail,” Trump said. “You know, they keep talking about deportation. No, she could go to jail.” Omar has not been charged with any crime, and she did not directly address the investigation or the search in her video.

Details & Background

Homeland Security Investigations agents searched Omar’s Washington home on Monday, Oct. 12, in connection with a criminal investigation into potential immigration fraud, according to Fox News Digital. Investigators are examining whether Omar or her father lied on paperwork that helped her gain U.S. citizenship. Omar came to the United States as a refugee from Somalia and was later naturalized. Border czar Tom Homan has said that if the allegations are proven, Omar could be stripped of her citizenship through denaturalization.

Before Tuesday’s video, Omar had not been seen publicly since before the search, fueling online speculation about her whereabouts. Reports note that her passport and phone were among the items seized by agents. Fox News Digital reported that her husband, Tim Mynett, has been seen walking the couple’s dog outside the home, and that her sister, Sahra Noor, spoke with federal investigators last week, according to three sources. Separately, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer is investigating the finances of Omar and her husband, and The New York Times has reported that a federal investigation of her finances began in 2024 under President Joe Biden.

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In her video, Omar cast the probe as political retaliation timed to the midterm elections. She said donations go “a long way as we fight Trump and his administration for trying to intimidate me and so many people right before the midterm elections.” She added, “We know that they’re running scared. We’re not going to be intimidated. We’re not going to be silenced. We’re not going to be scared.” Her office’s earlier written statement called the search “an outrageous abuse of power” and insisted that “the Congresswoman has done nothing wrong.”

Trump, for his part, framed his jail remark as his personal view. “This is just my opinion,” he said, before calling Omar “a very dishonest person” who “hates our country.” Top House Democrats, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark and Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, condemned the search as “egregious.” Fox News Digital also reported that former federal prosecutors have pushed back on Democrats’ claim that the timing of the search violated a Justice Department “60-day rule,” noting that no such formal rule exists.

Why This Matters to You

At the center of this case is a basic question: whether the rules for becoming an American citizen apply to everyone, including a sitting member of Congress. Naturalization fraud is a serious federal matter, and the law allows the government to seek to revoke citizenship obtained through false statements. If investigators find that false information was used in Omar’s immigration paperwork, the consequences could reach well beyond a single congressional seat and test how seriously the system protects the integrity of citizenship.

At the same time, no charges have been filed, and the evidence has not been made public. Omar is on the ballot for reelection on Nov. 3 and has promised to return to the campaign trail, including a scheduled appearance in Minneapolis next week with left-wing streamer Hasan Piker. With a federal probe, a congressional investigation and a fundraising push all unfolding in the final days before the midterms, what investigators find next will matter for public trust in Congress, in the immigration system and in the federal agencies charged with enforcing the law.