JD Vance Says DOJ Investigating Rep. Ilhan Omar Over Alleged Immigration Fraud

Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that the Justice Department is actively investigating Rep. Ilhan Omar over longstanding allegations involving possible immigration fraud.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Vance stopped short of accusing Omar of a crime outright during the ongoing probe, but made clear the administration believes the allegations warrant federal scrutiny.

“I don’t want to prejudge an investigation,” Vance said. “It certainly seems like something fishy is there, but everybody’s entitled to equal justice under the laws.”

The vice president added that the Department of Justice is “looking at” the matter now and said investigators would move forward if evidence of criminal wrongdoing is uncovered.

The comments reignited years-old allegations surrounding Omar’s immigration history and her marriage to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, a British citizen critics have alleged may have been her brother — a claim Omar has repeatedly denied and one that has never been proven in court.

Omar’s chief of staff Connor McNutt blasted the accusations as politically motivated.

“This is a ridiculous lie,” McNutt previously said in response to similar allegations from Vance earlier this year.

The controversy has followed Omar since her first congressional campaign in 2018, with conservative media outlets and Republican lawmakers repeatedly pressing questions about her marriage history, immigration records and family finances.

The Minnesota Democrat married Elmi in 2009 during a Christian ceremony in Minnesota and divorced him in 2017, according to public marriage records previously reviewed by media outlets. Omar has described the relationship as brief and said the pair spent much of the marriage separated.

The renewed scrutiny also comes as Minnesota Republicans intensify pressure over Omar’s alleged connections to individuals implicated in the state’s massive Feeding Our Future COVID fraud scandal, though Omar has denied wrongdoing in that matter as well.

Vance has made anti-fraud enforcement a centerpiece of the Trump administration’s second-term agenda, overseeing a federal task force focused on benefit fraud, Medicaid abuse and immigration-related investigations.

For now, the administration says the Omar matter remains under review.

But after years of rumors and political attacks swirling around one of Congress’ most outspoken progressives, the allegations are no longer confined to cable news chatter.

Now they’re sitting on the Justice Department’s desk.

NEW: VP Vance says “it certainly seems like something fishy is there” when asked about the DOJ’s immigration fraud investigation into Squad member Ilhan Omar.

“I mean, you read the things about Ilhan Omar and about, you know, who she married and whether she didn’t marry this… pic.twitter.com/8jxrO5VC7Z

— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 19, 2026