A Republican representative from Tennessee has proposed that the House Intelligence Committee obtain and release Representative Ilhan Omar's immigration records to determine her legal status in the U.S.
Rep. Tim Burchett stated he wants to "clear the air" and determine whether Omar is in the U.S. legally. He made this proposal before Omar pointed fingers and shouted during President Trump’s State of the Union address, when he mentioned fraud issues in her voting district.
Burchett’s proposal follows Rep. Nancy Mace’s efforts to have the House Oversight Committee request immigration records for Omar and her two former husbands, Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi and Ahmed Nur Said Elmi. Mace cited media allegations claiming Omar married a man believed to be her brother in 2009 for immigration purposes. Omar has denied these allegations, calling them "disgusting lies."
According to sources, the allegations originated from a Somali-language forum, claiming Elmi is Omar's brother and that the marriage was for immigration purposes.
Omar came to the U.S. in 1995 as a refugee from Somalia at age 12 and became a U.S. citizen in 2000. In a 2016 statement, she said she applied for a marriage license with Hirsi in 2002 but did not complete the process. She has three children with Hirsi. She legally married Elmi in 2009 and later divorced through Islamic tradition.
In 2020, Omar married Tim Mynett, a political activist in Minnesota. A recent increase in Mynett’s disclosed wealth has led to calls for an investigation by the House Ethics Committee. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has also launched a separate review into finances related to political activities.
Omar’s office has not yet responded to requests for comment at the time of reporting.
