House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, a Minnesota Republican, said Rep. Ilhan Omar should be jailed and deported if a federal investigation finds that she or her father lied on immigration paperwork used to obtain her U.S. citizenship.
Emmer, the highest-ranking House lawmaker from Omar’s home state and the No. 3 leader in the House of Representatives, addressed [1] the allegations during an interview with Fox News Digital. He stressed that any consequences would depend on the claims being proven true.
Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, is under federal investigation over allegations involving the birth year listed on immigration paperwork after her family fled Somalia in the late 1990s. The investigation is examining whether Omar or her father lied in connection with her citizenship.
Emmer said “there have been rumors for years” surrounding Omar. He then offered a blunt prescription if investigators establish that fraud occurred.
“I would say first she should probably serve time in the gray bar motel and then get the hell out of here. She should go back to where she came from,” if the allegations are proven to be true, Emmer said.
“If it’s determined that she lied to gain citizenship, then absolutely, she should go back to the front of the line.”
Omar is a member of the House “Squad,” a far-left group that also includes Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. She is seeking another term representing Minnesota’s heavily Democratic 5th Congressional District.
Federal agents raided Omar’s Washington, D.C., home earlier this week and took her cellphone and other possessions. Homeland Security Investigations agents conducted the raid early Monday morning.
The allegations are tied to Omar’s father becoming a U.S. citizen in 2000. Omar was believed to be 17 at the time, which meant she automatically qualified for citizenship as a minor under U.S. law along with him.
More recently, however, it has been alleged that Omar was actually 18 at the time. If that allegation is accurate, she would have needed to complete the citizenship process herself.
Omar and other Democrats have denounced the investigation as political persecution aimed at one of President Donald Trump’s detractors. Their criticism comes less than three weeks before Election Day on Nov. 3.
“I’m ok. Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement.”
“For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation,” Omar posted on X after the raid. “I will not be silenced.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and his top deputies also condemned the raid. In a joint statement, they said it was “deeply disturbing and raises serious questions about the continued corrupt weaponization of the federal government against Donald Trump’s adversaries.”
Emmer rejected the claim that the investigation was political. He pointed to the judicially authorized search warrant, which the Department of Justice said was being acted upon, as evidence that a judge found a reasonable basis for the raid.
“That judge had to determine that there was probable cause that a federal crime has been committed. And I’ll tell you what, as long as it was Ilhan Omar, it was going to be scrutinized to the very detail,” Emmer said.
“So the fact that they issued the warrant in the first place and then executed it, I mean, maybe after all these years, someone is finally going to hold Ilhan Omar accountable.”
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Omar’s allies and other critics have characterized the investigation and raid as unprecedented so close to Election Day, while Emmer maintains that any proven citizenship fraud must bring serious consequences.