Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace presses Oversight Committee to subpoena Ilhan Omar immigration records over marriage allegations

Washington, DC [US], January 8 : Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace on Wednesday pushed the House Oversight Committee to move toward issuing subpoenas for immigration-related documents connected to Ilhan Omar, her former spouses and members of her family.
The effort, however, did not move forward, as several committee members said the matter should fall under the jurisdiction of the House Ethics Committee. Following this view, the Oversight Committee set aside Mace's proposal.
Mace raised the issue while speaking at a hearing focused on benefit fraud in Minnesota, where she referred to allegations that Omar may have married her brother in order to secure US citizenship. The claims cited by Mace have not been proven.
After the hearing, Mace reiterated her position in a post on X, writing, "We just moved to subpoena Rep. Ilhan Omar and her brother/husband's immigration records in the Oversight Committee."
She further asserted in the same post that "Federal marriage fraud and knowingly entering a marriage to evade immigration laws is a serious felony punishable by prison time, steep fines, denaturalization and deportation."
Emphasising her point, Mace added, "Marrying a sibling is illegal in every state. We intend to get to the bottom of it."
She concluded the post with the statement, "END THE FRAUD. DENATURALIZE AND DEPORT ILHAN OMAR."
https://x.com/RepNancyMace/status/2008956779498229804?s=20
The renewed push for scrutiny follows earlier reactions from Omar to similar allegations. In December last year, the Minnesota congresswoman rejected the claims and described those raising them as "sick," after she was questioned by Fox News about remarks made by former border czar Tom Homan, according to the network.
During the same period, Fox News reported that Homan said federal authorities had begun examining records and files related to Omar's alleged immigration fraud. The review came after US President Donald Trump revived the years-old controversy amid a broader debate over a Somali Medicaid fraud case in Minnesota. Homan also said any potential prosecution could be complicated by statute of limitations constraints.
When approached by Fox News in the halls of Congress and asked about Homan's remarks, Omar said, "I have no response because I don't know what they'll be investigating."
When asked whether investigators would find anything, she replied, "Absolutely not."
Pressed on why the issue continues to resurface, she exclaimed, "Because they're sick!"
Separately, a senior Republican lawmaker said the allegations, if substantiated, could carry serious legal consequences for Omar. Senator Ted Cruz told Fox News, "If this is true, then Omar faces criminal liability under three different statutes."
Cruz said Omar could potentially face charges under federal marriage fraud laws, which penalise knowingly entering a marriage to bypass immigration regulations and carry possible sentences of up to five years in prison, fines of up to USD 250,000, and deportation.
Providing background, Omar was born in Somalia and arrived in the United States in 1995 after her family was granted asylum. She became a naturalised US citizen in 2000.
According to reports cited by Fox News, Omar entered into a religious marriage with Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi in 2002.
In 2009, she legally married Ahmed Elmi, a British citizen, while continuing her religious marriage with Hirsi and having children with him.
Omar and Elmi separated in 2011 and finalised their divorce in 2017.
In 2020, she married political consultant Tim Mynett.
Cruz also said that if the allegations are proven, Omar could face charges under Minnesota's incest law, which carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison. He added that she could also face tax fraud charges if joint tax returns were filed while she was not legally married, an offence punishable by fines of up to USD 100,000 and prison terms of up to three years.