Former U.S. President Barack Obama slammed the Trump administration’s current investigation of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, calling the immigration probe “appalling.”
“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,” Obama wrote in a lengthy social media post. He added, “To understand why this is so appalling, it’s important to know the facts.”
As theGrio previously reported, federal agents raided Omar’s home in Washington, D.C., in connection with the investigation into whether the congresswoman violated immigration laws prior to becoming a U.S. citizen.
Obama noted that Omar, a U.S. representative for Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, immigrated to the United States with her father at age 12. When she turned 17, Omar’s father became a naturalized citizen, which gave Omar automatic citizenship by descent.
“Congresswoman Omar went on to graduate from college, work as a community organizer, become the first Somali-American legislator elected to public office in the U.S., and win a seat in Congress,” noted America’s first Black president, who pointed out that as a sitting member of Congress since 2019, Omar has been one of the Trump Administration’s “fiercest critics.”
“[It] has led the president to repeatedly single her out as someone who he believes does not belong in this country,” said Obama.
He continued, “Now 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, and therefore is not a citizen. Federal agents have raided her home, confiscated personal records, and seized her phone — all to try and uncover a nonexistent smoking gun from 20 years ago that will somehow make their case.”
Tom Homan, Trump’s “border czar,” recently claimed that he believed the administration had a “strong” case against Omar and suggested that she could be denaturalized as a result.
“I’m not going to get ahead of the bureau or HSI, but I’ve been told they have a strong case, and we’ll let the evidence lead where it leads,” Homan told Fox News.
But Obama said the probe is the result of the Trump administration using the “full weight of the federal government” against a “law-abiding elected official because she has dared to criticize the president.” The former president noted that it’s not the first time the Trump Justice Department has gone after his perceived political enemies, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook, and former FBI Director James Comey.
The Trump administration is also prosecuting U.S. Congresswoman LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) over her role in conducting an oversight visit at an immigration detention center in Newark. The unprecedented case has repeatedly been slammed as politically motivated and an attempt to intimidate other members of Congress. McIver, who just gave birth to her second child, faces 17 years in prison if convicted.
“In those cases, the prosecutions either stalled or were dismissed for having no basis in law, and the same is likely to happen in this case,” said Obama. “But not before Congresswoman Omar’s life has been turned upside down, her legal bills have piled up, and she’s been forced to spend time fighting unsubstantiated charges instead of serving the people of Minnesota.”
President Obama continued, “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.” He added, “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.”
