Former President Barack Obama on Sunday accused the Trump administration of targeting Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) for her political views, calling the federal investigation into her citizenship “appalling” in a lengthy statement posted on X.
“It is a basic principle of American democracy that the government can’t selectively target individuals simply because of their political beliefs or what they say,” Obama wrote in the post. “But that’s exactly what the Trump Administration is doing to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.”
It is a basic principle of American democracy that the government can’t selectively target individuals simply because of their political beliefs or what they say. But that’s exactly what the Trump Administration is doing to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.
To understand…
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 18, 2026
The statement came days after federal agents searched Omar’s Washington, D.C., home as part of a criminal investigation into her immigration status, according to Fox News. NBC News reported that armed officers arrived early on Columbus Day morning and seized Omar’s phone and boxes of belongings. Fox News reported that sources told Fox News Digital investigators are examining whether Omar or her father committed fraud on immigration paperwork when she became a U.S. citizen decades ago.
The age question at the center of the probe
The case turns on how old Omar was when her father was naturalized. In his post, Obama wrote that Omar came to the United States with her father when she was 12 and that her father became a naturalized citizen five years later. “If Ilhan had been 18 at the time, she would have had to apply for citizenship separately. But because she was 17, she became a naturalized citizen automatically,” Obama wrote.
Obama said the administration is “actively trying to deport Congresswoman Omar, seemingly based solely on the unsubstantiated theory that she was actually 18 when her father was naturalized.” Fox News likewise reported that Obama accused investigators of pursuing an “unsubstantiated theory” that Omar was 18 at the time. “Federal agents have raided her home, confiscated personal records, and seized her phone,” Obama added in the post, as quoted by The Gateway Pundit.
The Gateway Pundit reported that the investigation concerns immigration documents filled out by Omar’s late father when she was a child.
Obama: “It’s not the first time”
“The full weight of the federal government is being brought down on a law-abiding elected official because she has dared to criticize the president,” Obama wrote, according to Fox News. Fox News reported that Obama pointed to federal actions involving New York’s attorney general, a former FBI director and members of the Federal Reserve as other examples.
“The fact that any president, or any administration, is willing to engage in such transparent efforts to intimidate someone should outrage all Americans, regardless of how they feel about Congresswoman Omar’s political views,” Obama wrote, as quoted by Fox News. “Because if this becomes the new normal, there’s no reason to believe it will stop with her — or that future presidents, in either party, won’t do the same.”
Trump says it’s up to DOJ
President Trump has denied involvement in the investigation and has told reporters the matter is up to the Justice Department, according to Fox News. “I’ve always found her to be totally crooked, personally, but that has nothing to do with me,” Trump said, as quoted by Fox News.
Omar denies the allegations of immigration fraud, according to Fox News. NBC News reported that she called the search and seizure of her phone part of Trump’s campaign of “baseless lies and smear campaigns.” NBC News also reported that the search, coming just weeks before the election, broke long-standing Justice Department traditions, according to department veterans who spoke to the outlet.
Fox News reported that it reached out to the White House and the Department of Homeland Security for comment on Obama’s statement. No response from either had been reported as of publication. The midterm elections are 16 days away.
Sources
Sources cited
- https://www.foxnews.com/politics/obama-backs-ilhan-omar-amid-probe-accuses-trump-admin-appalling-targeting-lengthy-statement
- https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/astounded-doj-vets-shocked-timing-ilhan-omar-search-rcna603736
- https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/10/barack-obama-gets-nailed-devastating-reminder-after-he/
- https://x.com/BarackObama/status/2111819687524774170
Sources
- Original post: Barack Obama (@BarackObama) on X, Oct 18, 2026
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