Vance says Rep. Ilhan Omar under DOJ investigation for immigration fraud

Indexé : 2026-05-20

Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday said the Justice Department is looking into whether Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., committed immigration fraud, citing longstanding allegations that she married a man critics claim is her brother. Speaking to reporters, Vance was asked about the administration's anti-fraud task force — established by President Donald Trump to combat fraud, waste, and abuse across federal benefit programs — and whether it would focus on Omar, a frequent Trump critic. "You read the things about Ilhan Omar… who she married and whether she didn't marry this person or that person," Vance said. "It certainly seems like something fishy is there, but everybody's entitled to equal justice under the law." The comments follow a podcast interview in March, during which Vance told conservative commentator Benny Johnson that he had spoken with White House immigration advisor Stephen Miller about potential legal action against the congresswoman. "We think Ilhan Omar definitely committed immigration fraud against the United States of America," Vance said at the time. Omar has long been dogged by allegations that she married a man critics allege is her brother, as part of an immigration scheme. Omar has denied the allegation, and the claim has not been proven in public records. In December, she dismissed the claims as "bigoted lies," writing on social media that Trump was obsessed with her. "He needs serious help," Omar wrote on X. "Since he has no economic policies to tout, he’s resorting to regurgitating bigoted lies instead." Omar, who was born in Somalia, arrived in the U.S. in 1995 after her family was granted asylum. She became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2000. According to reports, Omar entered a religious marriage with Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi in 2002. In 2009, she legally married Ahmed Elmi, a British citizen, whom some allege is her brother. Despite the legal marriage to Elmi, Omar reportedly maintained her religious union with Hirsi, with whom she continued to have children. Omar and Elmi separated in 2011 but did not legally divorce until 2017. In 2020, Omar married political consultant Tim Mynett. On Tuesday, Vance reiterated that authorities would investigate the matter. READ MORE: https://13wham.com/news/nation-world _______________ Stay up to date with our social media: 13 WHAM on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/13WHAM 13 WHAM on Twitter: https://twitter.com/13WHAM 13WHAM on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/13whamtv/?hl=en 13WHAM on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@13wham?lang=en 13 WHAM Daily Local News Digest: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuTJB6tta5ar3Fu5CumAvlvVunEP6bc9A For more information, visit https://13wham.com/ Have a news tip? Send it directly to us: Email us: news@13wham.com Call the Newsroom: (585) 334-8700 WHAM is a NY based station and a ABC Television affiliate owned and operated by Deerfield Media, Inc and receives certain services from an affiliation of Sinclair Broadcast Group. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country today. #13WHAM #News #Rochester #NewYork