Barack Obama has publicly accused the Trump administration of going after Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar's citizenship because she criticises the president.
In a post on X, the former president said no American should be singled out by the government for their politics. The White House says that isn't what's happening.
Key points
- Former President Barack Obama condemned the Trump administration's investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar's citizenship.
- Homeland security agents searched Omar's Washington home as part of the probe, the BBC reports.
- Obama says the case rests on an "unsubstantiated theory" about Omar's age when her father was naturalized.
- The White House denies the investigation is politically motivated.
What we know
According to BBC News, homeland security agents searched Omar's Washington, D.C. home last week as part of an investigation into her immigration status. US media have reported that the probe concerns her citizenship and whether her age was recorded correctly when she arrived in the US in 1995.
"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." — Barack Obama on X, October 18, 2026
Obama wrote that Omar's father became a naturalized citizen when she was 17, which gave her citizenship, and that the administration was "actively trying to deport Congresswoman Omar, seemingly based solely on the unsubstantiated theory that she was actually 18." He warned that if this "becomes the new normal," there is "no reason to believe it will stop with her."
The White House denied the investigation was political. "Unlike Joe Biden, President Trump has not weaponized the Department of Justice against his political foes," spokeswoman Lauren Bis told the BBC. Trump has said the investigation had "nothing to do" with him. The BBC notes the case could lead the Justice Department to seek to "denaturalise" Omar, which would require proving material lies in the naturalisation process.
Who is Ilhan Omar?
Omar came to the United States with her father at 12. She became a citizen, served in the Minnesota Legislature, then won a seat in the U.S. House.
She's one of Trump's loudest critics in Congress and has fought his administration on immigration and foreign policy.
Now her own citizenship is the argument.
Why people are angry
Obama's worry is simple: that a citizenship case is being built on a guess about her age.
He says any review of someone's status has to stand on evidence and normal legal process, not on who they voted against.
Some of this is confirmed and some isn't. The BBC confirmed the search of her home. Deportation is Obama's word. Border chief Tom Homan has said Omar could be denaturalised, but the BBC describes that as where the case could lead, not something already filed.
Obama's bigger warning
He isn't only talking about Omar.
His point is that if federal agencies can be pointed at an elected critic once, they can be pointed at the next one. That's the "new normal" he says he fears.
It also puts the Justice Department's independence back in the headlines ahead of the November midterms.
People backing the probe say a real legal question deserves a real look. Its critics say the timing and the target tell you what this is.
What happens next
If the Justice Department goes ahead, it would have to ask a court to denaturalise her.
That means proving she lied about something material when she was naturalised, which is a high bar.
Which leaves the question Obama is really asking:
If the government can do this to a sitting member of Congress, who's next?
A judge, not a post on X, would decide the case.
Why it matters
When the government investigates a sitting member of Congress who happens to be one of the president's best-known critics, people are going to ask whether law enforcement is still independent. If the government seeks to strip Omar's citizenship, the case will test how denaturalization is used. Whatever the outcome, it is likely to deepen political divisions ahead of the November midterms.
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