Federal investigators are presenting evidence to a grand jury in Minnesota examining whether Rep. Ilhan Omar or members of her family committed fraud on decades-old immigration paperwork, a person familiar with the probe told the Associated Press. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has since described the government's case as a strong one, according to CBS News, signaling the Trump administration intends to push the inquiry toward charges rather than let it quietly lapse.

The probe escalated sharply this month. On Oct. 12, federal agents executed a judicially authorized search of Omar's Washington home, seizing her phone, a laptop and personal notebooks. More than a dozen grand jury subpoenas have gone out, several to Omar's relatives, as part of what the Department of Justice has called "an ongoing federal criminal investigation." The Minnesota Democrat, who was born in Somalia and became a U.S. citizen as a teenager after years in a Kenyan refugee camp, has not been charged with any crime.

A widening net

The immigration-fraud thread is only one piece of a broader legal squeeze on Omar. Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, told Fox News "there are several investigations going on," adding that her office is separately examining Omar's financial disclosures to Congress. President Trump has publicly tied the probes together, asserting the DOJ is also looking into how Omar amassed what he claimed was a $44 million net worth on a lawmaker's salary — a figure Omar's office has disputed. Newsweek reported that officials briefed on the matter say the ultimate goal is to strip Omar of her citizenship and pursue deportation if investigators can prove the original immigration paperwork was fraudulent.

AN ATTEMPT TO TARGET POLITICAL ENEMIES AND WEAPONIZE FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT

That's how Omar characterized the search in a statement posted to X the day agents entered her home, echoing language her office has used since House Republicans opened a parallel finance investigation into her earlier this year. Democrats have broadly framed the probe as retaliatory, noting its timing: Omar is seeking reelection in Minnesota's 5th District in November, and Justice Department guidelines have historically discouraged public investigative steps against candidates within 60 days of an election. The Trump administration has rejected that criticism, with Mullin maintaining DHS is simply following evidence uncovered in a legitimate review of Omar's immigration history that he first confirmed publicly in September.

Omar's campaign and legal team have not detailed a defense strategy beyond denying wrongdoing, and no court filings laying out specific allegations have been made public. A grand jury subpoena does not require prosecutors to show their full hand, and it can take months before jurors vote on an indictment — if one is sought at all. For now, the inquiry adds a fresh flashpoint to an already volatile pre-midterm landscape, with Omar's allies warning it previews how the administration may use federal law enforcement against other prominent critics, and her opponents pointing to it as vindication of years-old questions about her immigration history that first surfaced during her initial congressional campaign.

Both sides agree on one thing: the Minnesota grand jury's next move, not the political back-and-forth, will determine what happens next.