Federal court filings now list Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar as “Ilhan Nur Said Elmi,” the same distinctive name that appears on a newly obtained UK marriage certificate for her sister and that matches the man she legally married in 2009. The records revive long-standing allegations that the marriage was a sham arrangement with her own brother to secure immigration benefits.
President Trump has called for her immediate resignation, while U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro has confirmed the name used in the filing. The same congresswoman who has spent years denouncing American institutions now faces the prospect that her own identity documents and marital history may not hold up under scrutiny.
A motion submitted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia refers to the congresswoman as “Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, a/k/a Ilhan Abdullahi Omar.” The filing concerns efforts to keep sealed materials related to a search warrant executed at her Washington, D.C. residence. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro stated on air that “Her real name is Ilhan Nur Sayed Elmi.”
Omar has repeatedly denied that the 2009 marriage was entered into for immigration purposes or that Elmi is her brother. In a recent interview with MS NOW’s Chris Hayes, she was asked whether she is related to her former husband. She replied, “Not to my knowledge.”
She attributed the allegation to a Somali blog and said claims that she had introduced Elmi as her brother were “insane.” In a 2016 statement she had called the same allegation “absurd and offensive.”
The couple divorced in 2017. Elmi applied for a marriage-based green card and later withdrew the application after U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services requested additional evidence about the validity of the marriage. While still legally married to Elmi, Omar filed joint tax returns with Ahmed Hirsi, the father of her three children, in 2014 and 2015.
Homeland Security Investigations agents searched Omar’s D.C. home on October 12 under a court-authorized warrant. Agents were photographed carrying boxes marked “Seized Property Evidence.”
Reporting indicates investigators have obtained DNA evidence as part of the probe into whether the marriage involved a biological sibling and whether false statements were made on immigration paperwork.
The investigation also examines age representations connected to her father’s naturalization. No charges have been filed. Omar has described the search as an attempt to intimidate.
