A bombshell New York Times investigation has revealed that FBI and Department of Homeland Security agents uncovered evidence of possible marriage fraud involving Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar as far back as 2016, during Barack Obama’s administration, but the case stalled after federal prosecutors determined that the potential felony was outside the five-year statute of limitations.
The October 29 report exposes previously undisclosed details about a federal investigation into Omar’s 2009 marriage to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, a British citizen whom investigators suspected might have been her brother.
According to six current and former officials familiar with the original investigation, federal agents discovered evidence suggesting the marriage may have been fraudulent.
The reported findings raise new questions about a controversy that has followed the Minnesota congresswoman for more than a decade and is now receiving renewed attention from President Donald Trump’s Justice Department.
The New York Times reported that the original investigation began in the summer of 2016, when Omar was campaigning for a seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
Federal authorities examined whether Omar entered into a marriage with Elmi for the purpose of helping him obtain lawful permanent residence in the United States.
The investigation involved an FBI agent specializing in public corruption and civil rights cases, along with two agents from Homeland Security Investigations, the investigative arm of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Times reported that two of those original investigators remain employed by their respective federal agencies in Minnesota.
The inquiry focused on a marriage that took place in 2009, when Omar was already a naturalized American citizen.
Elmi, a British citizen, subsequently applied for immigration benefits based on the marriage.
According to two former officials familiar with the case, Elmi obtained a provisional two-year green card through his marriage to Omar.
That detail is significant because conditional permanent residence can be granted to qualifying spouses when a marriage is less than two years old.
To obtain permanent immigration status beyond that conditional period, applicants generally must provide additional documentation establishing that the marriage was genuine.
According to the Times, immigration authorities requested additional evidence from Elmi when he attempted to make his status permanent.
Rather than responding to that request, Elmi reportedly left the United States and abandoned his green card petition.
His departure became one of the details highlighted by officials familiar with the investigation.
Investigators also reportedly uncovered information suggesting that Omar and Elmi might have been siblings.
The Times did not publicly identify the specific documents or testimony supporting that suspicion, and the alleged sibling relationship has not been established in court.
Nevertheless, the newspaper’s reporting confirms that federal investigators examined the allegation and identified evidence they considered relevant to possible marriage fraud.
The case did not proceed to criminal charges.
According to the officials interviewed by the Times, prosecutors concluded that any potential felony involving the 2009 marriage was outside the applicable five-year statute of limitations.
That determination limited the ability of investigators to pursue the matter further.
Because prosecutors did not advance the case, agents reportedly had access to fewer investigative tools than they would have had during a fully supported criminal prosecution.
The investigation therefore stalled without a criminal trial or judicial determination resolving the allegations.
The Times also uncovered new details about how Omar’s political campaign responded when news of the investigation surfaced in August 2016.
At the time, Omar was preparing for a historic election after defeating a longtime incumbent in the Democratic primary for a Minnesota legislative seat.
Local television reporting raised questions about whether federal authorities were investigating the marriage.
According to a 2018 deposition by attorney Carla Kjellberg, who represented Omar, the campaign formed a crisis management committee to address the controversy.
The committee was concerned that reports about the marriage could gain wider attention beyond local political discussions.
The campaign subsequently requested a letter from Andrew Luger, then the U.S. attorney for Minnesota.
On August 22, 2016, Luger issued a brief statement addressing reports about his office’s involvement.
He wrote, “my office is not investigating, nor have we requested an investigation into Ms. Omar.”
The statement became a central part of the campaign’s public response to the allegations.
However, Luger provided an important clarification when interviewed by the New York Times in October 2026.
He explained that the letter addressed a specific report suggesting that his office had requested an immigration investigation.
It was not intended to resolve the underlying allegations concerning Omar’s marriage.
Luger told the newspaper that the statement “was never meant to say anything about the substance of the claims.”
That clarification is among the most significant new details in the Times investigation because it explains the limited meaning of a statement previously used in discussions about the controversy.
The original FBI and Homeland Security inquiry reportedly involved agents examining the marriage independently of the specific action addressed in Luger’s letter.
The investigation subsequently faded from public view as Omar won her election to the Minnesota House of Representatives.
She later entered Congress in January 2019.
The controversy resurfaced during Trump’s first administration, when federal officials again examined aspects of Omar’s immigration history.
More recently, the Trump administration launched a broader investigation into the immigration records of Omar and members of her family.
The New York Times reported that Justice Department officials began prioritizing renewed scrutiny of those records in 2025.
The present investigation reportedly extends beyond the 2009 marriage.
Federal authorities are examining whether information supplied when Omar and her relatives entered the United States as refugees from Somalia was accurate.
The investigation includes questions about family relationships, identity records, and immigration documentation.
On October 12, 2026, federal agents searched Omar’s Washington, D.C., residence under judicial authorization.
Investigators reportedly seized electronic devices and other materials during the search.
That development brought the renewed federal investigation into public view.
The Times interviewed three current and former officials familiar with the present investigation and six officials with knowledge of the 2016 inquiry.
Their accounts established that the federal government’s examination of the marriage allegation began years before the current Trump administration.
The renewed investigation also comes as senior administration officials have discussed possible legal action involving Omar’s citizenship and immigration history.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated in September that investigators were examining whether the congresswoman or her relatives made fraudulent representations when entering the country.
Mullin said, “If we can prove that you shouldn’t have been here in the first place, we’ll deport you.”
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