Tom Homan says Ilhan Omar could be denaturalized, deported if investigation proves immigration fraud

Border czar Tom Homan said Representative Ilhan Omar could lose her US citizenship and face deportation if federal investigators determine that she committed immigration fraud. The comments come days after federal agents searched the congresswoman’s Washington, DC, home and seized her cellphone as part of an ongoing investigation.

Speaking to Fox News, Homan said authorities could pursue denaturalization if evidence shows that Omar provided false information during the naturalization process.

"Of course, if you lie during the naturalization process, there is a process to denaturalize somebody. We've done it before... And certainly, if the evidence points that way, that could happen,” Homan said.

Homan did not comment on the specifics of the investigation, but said Omar would be subject to the same legal standards as any other American.

"I said over a year ago, the allegations were made clear, and it would be investigated, and they are investigating it," Homan said. "I'm not going to get ahead of the bureau or HSI, but I've been told they have a strong case, and we'll let the evidence lead where it leads."

Federal authorities are investigating allegations that Omar or her father misrepresented information on immigration documents when the family arrived in the US from Somalia in 1995. Omar became a US citizen in 2000 through her father’s naturalization, as she claimed to be 17 at the time. However, investigators are examining whether she lied about her age to obtain citizenship and was actually 18.

After she was elected to Congress, Omar’s staff requested changes to her birth year in public records. Omar has also faced longstanding allegations that she married her brother to help him obtain US immigration benefits, which she has denied.

Federal agents searched Omar’s Washington home last Monday and seized her cellphones. Reports also suggested that agents searched her trash for DNA collection.

The investigation has been met with backlash among Democratic leaders who have accused the Trump administration of being politically motivated. President Trump, however, rejected that assertion.

“Well, I understand they’re looking at her very carefully. I’ve always found her to be totally crooked, personally, but that has nothing to do with me,” Trump said. “I think she’s a terrible person. Just a complainer. She comes from a country that is... a non-country, and then she comes over here and she complains about our Constitution.”