ICE carries out raid on home of Democratic US congresswoman

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents executed a judicially authorized search warrant at the Washington-area home of Democratic US Representative Ilhan Omar, a Somali-born naturalized citizen from Minnesota. The pre-dawn raid, conducted just over three weeks before the November midterm elections, is part of an ongoing federal investigation into alleged immigration fraud.

The investigation involves Omar's immigration paperwork, which was completed by her late father when she was a child. Omar, a vocal critic of President Donald Trump, has been a target of the Republican president, who has made derogatory comments about her and the Somali-American community. The Trump administration's border czar, Tom Homan, stated that the Justice Department is leading the investigation with the Department of Homeland Security, but declined to provide details of the ongoing criminal probe.

Omar called the search an attempt to target political opponents and weaponize federal law enforcement. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat, criticized Trump for abusing his power to go after political opponents ahead of the election. The Justice Department has stated that federal prosecutors and agents cannot time any action to affect the outcome of an election or benefit a candidate or political party.