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US federal agents searched the Washington home of Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar on Monday as part of a criminal investigation, officials said, marking a dramatic escalation in President Donald Trump\u2019s confrontation with the outspoken lawmaker.<\/strong><\/p>\n Omar said she was \u201cok\u201d following the operation but accused the administration of targeting political opponents just three weeks before she seeks re-election in the November 3 midterms.<\/p>\n The early morning search was conducted by agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the investigative arm of US immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n \u201cMake no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement,\u201d Omar wrote on X.<\/p>\n \u201cFor ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation.\u201d<\/p>\n The operation also sparked a furious backlash from Democrats who accused Trump of abusing government powers to pursue his political opponents.<\/p>\n Fox News reported that the search was linked to a criminal fraud investigation concerning immigration paperwork submitted on behalf of the Somali-born congresswoman by her late father when she was a child.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s border enforcement chief Tom Homan told Fox News he was unwilling to give details ahead of any official announcement but confirmed that an \u201cinvestigation was ongoing for a while\u201d and that \u201cthere was a warrant executed this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n US media quoted the Justice Department confirming that agents had carried out a court-authorized search in the Washington area, but officials did not identify Omar or disclose the nature of the investigation.<\/p>\n Omar, 44, is a leftist Democrat and fierce critic of Trump, particularly his administration\u2019s sweeping crackdown on immigration.<\/p>\n The Republican president has repeatedly clashed with Omar, who came to the United States from Somalia as a child and has frequently been the target of his political attacks.<\/p>\n Top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries and his leadership team called the raid \u201cdeeply disturbing\u201d and raised questions about \u201cthe continued corrupt weaponization of the federal government against Donald Trump\u2019s adversaries.\u201d<\/p>\n Minnesota\u2019s Democratic Governor Tim Walz accused Trump of \u201cabusing his power to go after political opponents weeks before an election.\u201d<\/p>\n Republican congresswoman Nancy Mace, meanwhile, said Omar should be stripped of her US citizenship and deported if fraud was proven.<\/p>\n \u201cNO ONE is above the law,\u201d she wrote on X.<\/p>\n The timing also drew criticism from Xochitl Hinojosa, a former director of public affairs at the Justice Department.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a longstanding rule at DOJ that you don\u2019t take overt actions like this before an election, especially when there\u2019s a candidate on the ballot,\u201d she wrote on X.<\/p>\n Omar said in September that Homeland Security officials had not contacted her about any investigation, dismissing the allegations against her as politically motivated attacks.<\/p>\n Omar was first elected to Congress in 2018 and represents a district including Minneapolis, home to one of the largest Somali communities in the United States.<\/p>\n She is a member of the group of left-wing Democratic lawmakers known as \u201cThe Squad,\u201d who have been among Trump\u2019s most vocal opponents in Congress.<\/p>\n No charges against Omar were announced in connection with Monday\u2019s search.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nPolitical backlash\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n