Border czar Tom Homan told Fox News that a criminal investigation involving Rep. Ilhan Omar is underway and that a major ICE enforcement surge is heading to Minnesota's Twin Cities, part of what the administration describes as a sweeping crackdown on immigration fraud in the state's Somali community.
Homan, speaking during a Fox News interview, confirmed that the Department of Homeland Security is actively pulling records related to the longstanding allegation that Omar married her brother, Ahmed Elmi, in 2009 to secure immigration benefits. He stopped short of laying out conclusions but made clear the probe is active and moving fast.
The confirmation marks the first time a senior administration official has publicly acknowledged a federal investigation into the Minnesota congresswoman on these specific grounds. Omar has long denied the marriage-fraud claim. No DNA evidence has supported the allegation that Omar and Elmi are siblings, Just The News reported.
Homan did not mince words about the administration's posture. He told Fox News that he knows "things are going on" and framed the Omar inquiry as one piece of a much larger enforcement picture in Minnesota.
"We're pulling the records, we're pulling the files. We're looking at it... I'm running that down this week."
He also signaled that President Trump has given direct marching orders on the matter.
"President Trump has instructed us to go down, and we're going to deep dive all of this, and we're going to hold people accountable."
DHS claims that 50 percent of visas in Minnesota are fraudulent, a figure the department is using to justify a broader review of the state's Somali community. That statistic, if accurate, would represent one of the most significant clusters of immigration fraud ever identified in a single state. Authorities have not publicly released the methodology or data behind the claim.
Beyond the Omar investigation, Homan confirmed that an ICE personnel surge is coming to the Twin Cities. The Washington Examiner reported that the crackdown is linked to a Somali fraud investigation described as a "bombshell." Homan declined to provide operational specifics, citing security concerns.
That restraint is standard practice for law enforcement operations of this scale. But the public confirmation itself sends an unmistakable signal: federal agents are coming, and the administration wants everyone in Minnesota to know it.
President Trump has moved to put his own stamp on the effort. He announced that Homan will travel to Minnesota personally to manage ICE operations on the ground and coordinate fraud investigations. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt framed the deployment in direct terms.
"Tom Homan will be managing ICE Operations on the ground in Minnesota to continue arresting the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens."
The enforcement push has also opened a political front. Trump is pressuring Minnesota's Democratic leadership to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Breitbart reported that the president issued four specific demands to Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. Those demands include turning over criminal illegal aliens held in state prisons and requiring local police to assist federal law enforcement.
Trump also called on Congress to end sanctuary city policies nationwide, tying the Minnesota situation to his broader immigration agenda.
"American Cities should be Safe Sanctuaries for Law Abiding American Citizens ONLY, not Illegal Alien Criminals who broke our Nation's Laws."
The president has claimed that a major investigation is underway regarding over $20 billion in welfare fraud in Minnesota. That figure has not been independently verified, and investigators have not publicly detailed how it was calculated.
The claim that Omar committed immigration fraud by marrying her brother has circulated for years. The core allegation holds that Omar married Elmi in 2009 not for a genuine marital relationship but to help him obtain immigration benefits. Omar has consistently denied the charge.
No DNA evidence linking Omar and Elmi as siblings has surfaced publicly. Previous state-level investigations did not result in immigration fraud charges, though Omar paid a fine related to a separate tax filing matter years ago.
What has changed is the federal government's willingness to treat the allegation as an active investigative matter. Homan's on-the-record confirmation that DHS is pulling files and records represents a significant escalation from the rumor-and-innuendo phase that characterized earlier discussions of the claim.
Investigators have not said whether they possess new evidence, witness testimony, or documentary records that would move the inquiry beyond the publicly known set of facts. Authorities have also not publicly confirmed whether Omar herself has been contacted, interviewed, or served with any legal process related to the investigation.
The Minnesota operation fits within the administration's aggressive nationwide posture on immigration enforcement. Homan has become the public face of that effort, traveling to jurisdictions where the White House sees both enforcement opportunities and political leverage.
Minnesota presents both. The state's large Somali community has been a focal point of conservative criticism over immigration policy for years. The combination of an active fraud investigation, an ICE surge, and a high-profile congressional target gives the administration a concentrated theater of operations.
For Omar, the stakes are personal and political. A sitting member of Congress facing an active federal immigration fraud investigation is extraordinary by any measure. If DHS produces evidence supporting the marriage-fraud allegation, the legal and political consequences could be severe. If the investigation produces nothing, it will face scrutiny as a politically motivated exercise.
Either way, the administration has made its intentions public and put its credibility on the line.
Homan indicated he plans to run down the Omar matter "this week," suggesting the administration intends to move quickly. The ICE surge timeline remains unclear, though Homan's refusal to share operational details suggests planning is already advanced.
Investigators will need to determine whether the documentary record supports the fraud allegation, whether any witnesses can corroborate or refute it, and whether the broader visa fraud claims in Minnesota hold up under scrutiny. No charges have been filed against Omar or anyone else in connection with the investigation Homan described.
Walz and Frey have not publicly responded to Trump's four demands. How Minnesota's state and local leadership handles the federal pressure will shape whether the operation proceeds with cooperation or becomes a full-blown sanctuary city confrontation.
When the federal government names a sitting congresswoman in a criminal investigation and sends its border czar to run operations in her home state, the country is watching. What matters now is whether the evidence matches the rhetoric.
