Trump border czar says US could strip Ilhan Omar of citizenship
Donald Trump's border czar Tom Homan said the administration could "of course" strip Representative Ilhan Omar of her U.S. citizenship and deport her. He made the remarks in a Saturday appearance on Fox News, according to The Guardian.
When asked whether the investigation into Omar could involve "denaturalizing and then deporting her", Homan answered: "Of course". He said if someone lies during the naturalization process there is a process to denaturalize them, describing it as a long, tedious process that has been done before. He added that if the evidence points toward denaturalization in Omar's case, "that could happen".
Omar is a naturalized U.S. citizen from Somalia. She emigrated as a refugee at around age 12 and became a citizen in 2000. She has said she gained citizenship through her father's naturalization in 2000 before she turned 18.
She was a child when her father filled out the immigration paperwork now under scrutiny. Her father, Nur Omar Mohamed, died in June 2020.
The federal investigation is examining whether Omar or her family violated any laws when obtaining her citizenship. Homan has confirmed that the Department of Homeland Security is conducting a criminal investigation amid marriage and immigration fraud allegations. Federal investigators have subpoenaed relatives as part of the scrutiny of her immigration history.
Homeland Security Investigations agents searched Omar and her husband Tim Mynett's residence in Washington, D.C. Federal agents raided Omar's home on 12 October. A judge has limited the Justice Department's access to Omar's records in the investigation, according to CNN.
Omar denies lying on paperwork to obtain citizenship, according to Fox News. She has said she was in the dark about the criminal investigation and denied that federal investigators had contacted her. After the home search, her attorneys accused the Justice Department of potentially influencing an election in violation of longstanding internal policy.
Omar is on the ballot in the November midterm elections. A top House Republican said Omar should be jailed and deported if citizenship fraud is proven.
