WASHINGTON(National Times)- US authorities conducted a predawn Monday raid on the Washington-area home of Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar as part of an ongoing investigation, the Justice Department said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The raid followed a criminal fraud investigation into the Somali-born lawmaker\u2019s immigration paperwork, which was filled out by her late father when she was a child, Fox News Digital reported, citing unidentified sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cToday in the Washington, DC area, Homeland Security Investigations executed a judicially authorised search warrant secured by the Department of Justice. This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal investigation,\u201d a Department of Justice spokesperson said in an email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A representative for Omar did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The raid came a little more than three weeks before the Nov 3 midterm elections, when President Donald Trump\u2019s Republicans will be trying to defend their thin majorities in the US Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Omar has been a frequent target of political insults from Trump, who has cast the Somali American community as a threat to Minnesota in a burst of anti-Somali and anti-Muslim rhetoric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Creepy obsession\u2019
Omar, an outspoken critic of Trump, has called his focus on her an \u201cunhealthy and creepy obsession\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last week, Trump called Democratic candidate for US Senate from Michigan Abdul El-Sayed, who is Muslim, a \u201cRADICAL Extremist\u201d and \u201cTerrorist Sympathiser\u201d while offering support for the Republican candidate, Mike Rogers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Civil rights advocates have criticised the Republican president\u2019s rhetoric towards minorities and immigrants, including when he previously called Somalis \u201cgarbage\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump in February said that Omar and Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, who is also Muslim, should be \u201cinstitutionalised\u201d and sent back to \u201cwhere they came from\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both lawmakers had criticised Trump during his State of the Union address as he touted his administration\u2019s hard-line immigration crackdown and its immigration enforcement actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The progressive lawmaker has repeatedly said she and her family have faced death threats, which she attributes to \u201chateful political rhetoric\u201d, especially from Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last month, a Minnesota man who squirted vinegar on Omar was sentenced to one year and two months in prison after pleading guilty to assaulting a federal official.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anthony James Kazmierczak admitted to attacking Omar because he disagreed with her progressive political views.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WASHINGTON(National Times)- US authorities conducted a predawn Monday raid on the Washington-area home of Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar as part of an ongoing investigation, the Justice Department said. The raid followed a criminal fraud investigation into the Somali-born lawmaker\u2019s immigration paperwork, which was filled out by her late father when she was a child, Fox […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":134721,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-134720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n