Omar's spokesperson calls the citizenship push "an authoritarian move to silence an opponent"
Ilhan OmarU.S. Representative for Minnesota's 5th District, through spokesperson Jacklyn Rogers
Responding to reports that the investigation aims to revoke Rep. Ilhan Omar's citizenship, her spokesperson Jacklyn Rogers told USA Today that it "isn't a legitimate law enforcement action" and called it "an authoritarian move to silence an opponent right before an election".
“This isn't a legitimate law enforcement action,” … “It is an authoritarian move to silence an opponent right before an election where he and his party will be rejected by Americans in historic proportions.”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Should Trump administration officials publicly accuse Rep. Ilhan Omar of immigration fraud?
Since at least 2016 there have been unproven claims that Rep. Ilhan Omar’s 2009 husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, is her brother. Senior Trump administration officials have repeated the claim publicly. This record begins with Vice President JD Vance’s March 27, 2026 statement that “we actually think that Ilhan Omar definitely committed immigration fraud,” and includes President Donald Trump’s May 1 statement, “I believe she married her brother.” On September 10, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a podcast interview, “we know that she married her brother to try to bring him in the United States,” and that an investigation was ongoing. On September 13, border czar Tom Homan declined to give specifics of an “ongoing criminal investigation” but said “no one’s above the law.” Omar has denied the claim: on September 16 she told a reporter “Absolutely not” and that she is not under investigation, and on September 18 Fox News Digital reported her saying DHS had not contacted her. Fox reported that there has been no public evidence available to confirm an open investigation into her.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
USA Today reports, citing two people familiar with the matter, that the probe is aimed at revoking Omar's citizenship and deporting her if investigators can prove she or her relatives lied to immigration authorities. It quotes a statement from Omar's spokesperson, Jacklyn Rogers.
Before the quotation
USA Today reported that Omar's office, responding to the Wall Street Journal's report, said "Trump's push to strip her of her citizenship and deport her has no basis in the law and has no precedent".
After the quotation
USA Today then described the administration's wider use of denaturalization cases and the question about Omar's age at the center of the probe.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Omar's office rejects the investigation and the push to revoke her citizenship as illegitimate and politically motivated. That condemns the accusation and its pursuit.
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“Chuck Schumer, the leader of the Democrats in the Senate, has not said a damn thing about Ilhan Omar being persecuted by the Trump administration. This entirely like ICE and DHS operating outside of the traditional legal system and bringing in a national security justification to terrorize citizens and now elected officials.”Read statement
Vice President Vance says "we're going to see whether she did commit a crime"
“If, of course, criminal wrongdoing is discovered or potentially fraudulent immigration is uncovered, then obviously there will be legal proceedings to follow that.” … “We have very rarely had a person in Congress who seems to have such disdain and such rage at the country that gave her a better life” … “Now, that's not a crime.” … “But we're going to see whether she did commit a crime. And if she did, we're obviously going to follow the law”Read statement
Rep. Ilhan Omar says DHS has not formally reached out to her about an investigation and that she does not “really worry about it”
“Why don’t you follow up with them and ask them what is the information that they have” … “The right wing has always had this shit going, so I don’t really worry about it. You have a good day.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Omar's spokesperson calls the citizenship push "an authoritarian move to silence an opponent"". First published: 2026-10-17. Last updated: 2026-10-17. https://disputeindex.com/events/5968-responding-to-reports-that-the-investigation-aims-to