Former President Barack Obama is drawing intense criticism after publicly defending Representative Ilhan Omar against a federal immigration fraud investigation, accusing the Trump administration of politicizing the probe and targeting her for criticizing the president. In a lengthy social media post, Obama called the inquiry “so appalling” and claimed the full weight of the federal government was being brought down on a law-abiding elected official. He stated that Omar arrived in the United States at age 12 and automatically became a citizen at 17 when her father was naturalized, dismissing the probe as based on an unsubstantiated theory that she was actually 18 at the time. Critics quickly pushed back, noting that Obama presented her age as settled fact while public records for years listed her birth date as October 4, 1981, which would have made her 18 or 19 when her father naturalized in 2000. In May 2019, months after Omar entered Congress, her staff requested that the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, the U.S. House, and Wikipedia change the year to 1982. The investigation focuses on whether Omar or her late father, Nur Omar Mohamed, provided false information on decades-old immigration paperwork that allowed her to derive citizenship as a minor.

Federal agents recently executed a judicially authorized search warrant at Omar’s Washington, D.C., home, seizing her phone, personal records, and other materials as part of the ongoing criminal probe. Authorities have also issued subpoenas to several of her relatives seeking testimony before a grand jury. Investigators are examining the circumstances of her family’s naturalization and whether any material facts were misstated to secure legal status and citizenship. Obama warned that such actions set a dangerous precedent that could be used by future presidents of either party, while the White House has defended the Justice Department’s focus on restoring law and order. Omar has denied wrongdoing and described the scrutiny as an effort to target political enemies. The episode has reignited long-running debates over her immigration history, the accuracy of official records, and the boundaries of federal investigations involving elected officials.