Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) could face a legal challenge to her American citizenship if federal investigators establish that false information was submitted during her family’s naturalization process, according to legal scholar Jonathan Turley.
Turley raised the possibility of denaturalization while discussing the ongoing federal investigation involving the Minnesota Democrat, whose Washington, D.C., residence was recently searched by federal agents.
The constitutional law expert suggested that Omar’s position in Congress could introduce additional legal questions if she knowingly repeated inaccurate citizenship information in official government documents.
“As a member of Congress, she has to continually file papers that may be repeating something that is false, that she may know is false,” Turley said.
“The civil case does not have a statute of limitations.”
His remarks focused on the legal implications of allegedly inaccurate immigration records and whether discrepancies dating back decades could still expose Omar to potential proceedings.
Turley explained that the federal government has historically maintained that certain errors in citizenship applications could justify denaturalization if accurate information would have prevented an applicant from obtaining citizenship.
“The position of the government has been that even innocent errors if they would have prevented you from becoming a citizen can be the basis of denaturalization,” he said.
However, a successful denaturalization case would require the government to establish the applicable legal grounds through court proceedings. Turley’s analysis does not mean investigators have proven Omar obtained citizenship improperly.
The discussion comes amid an expanding federal investigation into Omar’s immigration history and documentation submitted by her family.
Federal agents searched the congresswoman’s Washington residence on October 12, reportedly seizing her cellphone, passport, personal computers and notebooks.
Investigators have also issued grand jury subpoenas seeking information from relatives, including her sister Sahra Noor.
At the center of the controversy are questions surrounding Omar’s age when her late father, Nur Omar Mohamed, became a naturalized American citizen in 2000.
Omar has maintained that she was 17 at the time and obtained citizenship through her father’s naturalization.
Under the citizenship rules relevant to the case, qualifying as a minor could have allowed her to obtain citizenship through a parent rather than pursuing a separate adult naturalization process.
However, questions have emerged over records listing her birth year as either 1981 or 1982.
If she was born in 1981, she may have already turned 18 when her father naturalized, depending on the precise dates involved.
That discrepancy could become significant if investigators determine that an incorrect birth date materially affected her eligibility for citizenship.
Federal authorities are also reportedly examining information contained in her father’s immigration paperwork.
The allegations remain under investigation, and the existence of conflicting public records does not independently establish that Omar or her father deliberately submitted false information.
Turley’s comments also raise the possibility that any knowingly false statements subsequently repeated in government filings could carry separate legal implications.
Such questions would depend on the specific documents involved, the accuracy of the information and whether prosecutors could establish the required elements of an offense.
The scrutiny intensified Friday when Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin disclosed that federal agents had executed multiple search warrants on the same day they searched Omar’s home.
Mullin described the investigation as a strong case and indicated that authorities expected to present evidence to a grand jury.
Omar has denied wrongdoing and accused the Trump administration of pursuing a politically motivated investigation.
No publicly announced criminal charges or denaturalization judgment have established that she obtained citizenship fraudulently.
For now, Turley’s remarks highlight the potential legal consequences investigators could pursue if evidence ultimately establishes that material inaccuracies affected Omar’s naturalization or appeared in subsequent government filings.
