# Trump 'Border Czar' Suggests Ilhan Omar Denaturalization Amid Federal Probe

> A top Trump administration official stated Congresswoman Ilhan Omar could be stripped of her citizenship and deported following a federal raid on her home.

By PrimaryBrief newsroom · Published 2026-10-18T17:44:56.311501Z
Canonical: https://primarybrief.com/article/trump-border-czar-suggests-ilhan-omar-denaturalization-amid-federal-probe-99e52f10

Tom Homan, identified as President Donald Trump's "border czar," stated on Fox News on Saturday, October 17, 2026, that Congresswoman Ilhan Omar could "of course" be denaturalized and deported if immigration fraud is proven [1]. These remarks represent the first explicit mention of denaturalization and deportation by a top Trump administration official since federal agents raided Omar's home on October 12, 2026 [1].

The comments and the federal raid highlight increased scrutiny on Congresswoman Omar, linking a criminal investigation into her citizenship to calls for her removal from the country. This development escalates a long-standing political conflict involving a sitting US Congresswoman and the President.

## What the records show

Federal agents searched Congresswoman Ilhan Omar's home on October 12, 2026, as part of a criminal investigation [1][6][7][8][9]. The Department of Justice confirmed that Homeland Security Investigations executed a judicially authorized search warrant [7][8]. The investigation focuses on allegations that Omar or her family violated the law to obtain citizenship, specifically related to fraud in her family's immigration paperwork [1][7][8]. Omar arrived in the United States in 1995 from Somalia at the age of 12 [8].

## The timeline

On October 12, 2026, federal agents raided Congresswoman Ilhan Omar's residence [1][6][7][8][9]. Following the raid, Omar issued statements on social media and through her office [7][8][9]. On October 17, 2026, Tom Homan, a top official in the Trump administration, made his comments on Fox News [1]. Donald Trump was the sitting president during these events [3][4][5].

## What changed and for whom

Before Homan's statement, discussions about denaturalization and deportation concerning Omar had been made by key allies of Trump, but not by a named top administration official since the raid [1][7]. Homan's public statement introduces the possibility of denaturalization and deportation as an explicit consequence discussed by a high-ranking official [1]. The raid itself represents an escalation of federal action against Omar, who has been a frequent target of President Trump [1][2][7][9]. The timing of the search, close to midterm elections, has drawn criticism from top Democrats who question its appropriateness [9].

## What the subject has said publicly

Following the raid, Congresswoman Omar stated on social media that she was "OK" [7]. She characterized the raid as "an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement" and asserted, "I will not be silenced" [1][7][8][9]. Her congressional office also released a statement, condemning the operation as "an outrageous abuse of power" and an "unprecedented escalation in the weaponization of federal law enforcement to target political enemies" [6][8]. Her office further stated, "No president should be able to use the power of the federal government to intimidate his political enemies" [6][8].

President Donald Trump has previously called Omar "garbage" and a "criminal" [2]. After the raid, Trump said he had "nothing to do with it" and that the investigation was "up to the DoJ" [7]. He also described her as "totally crooked" [7]. At a political rally on October 12, Trump attacked Omar's Somali origins, which led the crowd to shout, "Deport" [9].

## What we could not confirm

The specific nature of the search warrant executed on Omar's home remains unclear [7]. The precise details of the alleged immigration fraud being investigated were not confirmed [7][8]. The Department of Justice's official stance on the appropriateness of the raid's timing relative to midterm elections was not detailed [9].

## Evidence cited
1. Trump ‘border czar’ says Ilhan Omar could be ‘of course’ denaturalized and deported (www.theguardian.com) — https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/18/tom-homan-trump-ilhan-omar-citizenship-deportation
2. Ilhan Omar: The US Democrat targeted by Donald Trump (www.dw.com) — https://www.dw.com/en/ilhan-omar-the-us-democrat-targeted-by-donald-trump/a-79688445?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
3. (October 18 2026) President Donald J. Trump Approves Emergency Declaration for Guam. FEMA.gov. — https://fema.gov/
4. (October 14 2026) President Trump Gaggles with Press at Bullhead City, AZ, Oct. 14, 2026. October 14, 2026. — https://whitehouse.gov/
5. (October 17 2026) Trump's October barrage. ... see more of our stories on Google. ... President Trump is carrying his insatiable appetite for controversy into the most unforgiving stretch of the electoral calendar, fortified by a decade of political survival. "Bottom line, it's gonna all work out. You know why? It always does," Trump told reporters this week.
... — https://axios.com/
6. (October 12 2026) The Office of Congresswoman Omar released the following statement following the DHS raid on her home. ... Office of Rep. Ilhan Omar Statement on DHS Raid. October 12, 2026. Press Release. The Office of Congresswoman Omar released the following statement following the DHS raid on her home. “This raid by Trump's DHS is an outrageous abuse of power and an unprecedented escalation in the weaponization of federal law enforcement to target political enemies. For a decade, Donald Trum — https://house.gov/
7. (October 12 2026) Federal agents searched Representative Ilhan Omar's home on Monday morning as part of a criminal investigation, according to the Department of Justice and reports in the Associated Press and Fox News. In a social media post later on Monday, Omar criticized the raid as an attempt by the Trump administration “to target political enemies and weaponize law enforcement” and said she would “not be silenced”. ‘I will not be silenced’: Trump critic Ilhan Omar defiant after home raided. — https://theguardian.com/
8. (October 12 2026) "Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement," Omar wrote on X, confirming her safety while adding: "I will not be silenced."
... — https://yenisafak.com/
9. (October 13 2026) In a statement on X on Monday, Omar called the search 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,” she said. “I will not be silenced.” At a political rally in Ohio later Monday, Trump attacked Omar's Somali origins, saying, “She's telling us about the Constitution, and she comes from one o — https://ap.org/
10. (October 12 2026) WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal agents on Monday searched the home of Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, a startling escalation in a criminal investigation that brings renewed scrutiny to the frequent target of Trump administration derision in the final weeks of her reelection bid. Omar said she will "not be silenced" and called the search of her home the "latest escalation" in President Donald Trump's "intimidation" campaign.
... — https://pbs.org/