JD Vance accused Democratic Muslim Ilhan Omar of immigration fraud and called for a federal investigation

The Vice President of the United States, JD Vance, said Friday that Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar has committed immigration fraud by marrying her brother to help him stay in the country legally. The statements came during an interview with conservative podcaster Benny Johnson, in which Vance said that Omar “definitely committed immigration fraud

against the United States.”

Vance noted that the congresswoman has been linked to what he describes as “the worst frauds within the Somali community in the United States” and considered that her conduct and that of her environment deserve a thorough federal investigation. He said he has spoken with the White House Deputy Chief of Staff, Stephen Miller, about possible legal avenues to investigate and prosecute Omar for these

irregularities.

The accusations date back to before Omar's 2018 congressional campaign. The congresswoman legally married Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, a British citizen, in 2009, although she claims that the relationship was brief and that they remained separated much of the time until 2011. Omar was also married to Ahmed Abdisalan Hiri, with whom she had three children

between 2003 and 2012.

Community sources, such as the Somali leader Abdihakim Osman, pointed out that Omar had introduced Elmi as his brother and that he was looking for “papers”, referring to migratory documents such as legal residence. According to Osman, this information only came to light when the media obtained the marriage certificates years later

.

Marriage fraud is a federal crime in the United States, with penalties of up to five years in prison and fines of up to $250,000. Vance argued that the allegations are consistent with fraud patterns detected within the Somali community in Minnesota and that they deserve investigation at the federal level.

“I'm concerned about immigration and what Omar knew about what was happening in the Somali-American community, and why no one investigated it until the Trump administration,” he said.

For their part, Omar and his team have denied the accusations. Connor McNutt, the congresswoman's chief of staff, called Vance's comments “a ridiculous lie and a desperate attempt to distract from issues such as war, gas prices and the fall in Republican Party polls.” Omar has also pointed out that his marriage to Elmi was “a difficult part of his personal history” and that he did not consider it relevant to his political campaign

.

The controversy has also been linked to investigations into nefarious fraud in social programs, child care and Medicaid in Minnesota, with losses that could exceed billions of dollars, as well as to the rapid accumulation of wealth of Omar and her current husband, Tim Mynett, whose declared assets reached $30 million a year after reporting being nearly bankrupt on previous forms

.

Vance and other critics argue that Omar could have used his position and connections within the Somali community to facilitate fraud and benefit people close to her, which they describe as “a direct deception of the American people.”