The federal investigation involving a Minnesota congresswoman took on a new dimension this weekend, as a senior administration official raised the possibility of stripping her citizenship.
The White House’s top border official said Oct. 17, 2026, that Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota, could face denaturalization if investigators find she lied when applying for U.S. citizenship.
What did the official say about denaturalization?
In a television interview, the official said investigators have a strong case in their probe of Omar but declined to share details. He said he did not know the specifics of the evidence. He spoke in an interview broadcast Saturday.
If she broke the law, he said, she will be held accountable. He added that investigators will look into every aspect of the case.
Omar has not been charged with any crime, and no evidence has been made public. She has strongly denied the allegations. The official’s comments go further than the Justice Department, which has confirmed only that the search was part of an ongoing criminal investigation.
What is denaturalization?
Denaturalization is the legal process of revoking citizenship from someone who became a citizen through naturalization rather than birth.
It is rare. The government must prove in federal court that citizenship was obtained illegally or through concealing or willfully misrepresenting important facts. Most naturalized citizens never face such proceedings, and the government brings only a small number of these cases each year.
In 2017, the Supreme Court ruled that a false statement must have been material to obtaining citizenship for it to justify revoking it. Minor misstatements are not enough. The ruling raised the bar for the government in such cases.
The cases can be civil or criminal, and the person has the right to challenge the government’s evidence in court. A criminal conviction for naturalization fraud can also lead to automatic loss of citizenship.
The Justice Department said in 2025 that it would make denaturalization cases a higher priority, particularly those involving fraud or national security concerns. Civil liberties groups have warned that aggressive use of the process could make naturalized citizens feel their status is less secure.
Why is Omar under investigation?
Federal agents searched Omar’s Washington home Oct. 12 as part of a criminal investigation. Reports citing unnamed sources have said the probe relates to possible immigration fraud. Agents were seen carrying boxes from the home during the search.
The Justice Department has not publicly described the focus of the investigation. Separately, the top federal prosecutor in Washington has said her office is reviewing Omar’s financial disclosures.
Omar has long faced unproven claims about her immigration history, which she has repeatedly denied. She has called the investigation part of a campaign of political intimidation.
Who is Ilhan Omar?
Omar was born in Somalia and moved to the United States with her family in the 1990s after fleeing the country’s civil war. Her family spent several years in a refugee camp in Kenya before arriving in the United States. She became a citizen at 17.
She became a state representative in Minnesota in 2017 and has served in Congress since 2019. She is seeking reelection Nov. 3. She was among the first Muslim women elected to Congress.
What happens next in the denaturalization debate?
Any move toward denaturalization would first require evidence presented in court. Investigators have not announced charges or filed a case.
Revoking the citizenship of a sitting member of Congress would be extraordinary, and the process could take years.
For now, the talk of denaturalization adds pressure to an investigation that remains largely out of public view as the election nears.
