Florida Rep. Randy Fine said he will introduce a resolution to expel Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House if a federal criminal investigation into her immigration history finds she broke the law.
Fine told NewsNation he has already contacted the Department of Justice for details on the probe. In a separate interview with Fox News Digital, the House Freedom Caucus member said he assumes Omar is not a citizen, which could make expulsion unnecessary because only citizens may serve in Congress. If her removal is not automatic, Fine said, “I absolutely will demand expulsion immediately.”
Homeland Security Investigations agents searched Omar’s Washington-area home under a court-authorized warrant less than a month before the midterm elections. A Justice Department spokesperson called the search part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation. The warrant lists potential offenses including false statements and fraud in immigration paperwork, plus a general conspiracy count, according to reporting on its contents. Fox News Digital, citing sources familiar with the case, reported that investigators are examining paperwork Omar’s late father completed when she was a child.
Omar was born in Somalia. She became a U.S. citizen in 2000 after her father was naturalized.
Fox News Digital also reported that a federal court filing identified the congresswoman as “Ilhan Nur Said Elmi,” listing “Ilhan Abdullahi Omar” as an alias. President Donald Trump seized on that report, writing on Truth Social that Omar “must IMMEDIATELY resign from Congress.” Omar told NewsNation that claims she uses a fake name are “categorically false.” She has long called accusations of immigration fraud against her family false and politically motivated.
The feud between the two lawmakers predates the search. Fine has called Omar a “terrorist,” remarks that Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and other House leaders condemned as racist and Islamophobic. He previously told Axios he was “actively considering” forcing an expulsion vote, pointing to allegations, denied by Omar, that she married her brother. Omar responded at the time that nobody takes Fine seriously.
Fine also aimed criticism at Rep. Delia Ramirez of Illinois, whose Reimagining Safety Act would dismantle the Department of Homeland Security and abolish ICE and Customs and Border Protection, moving some of their functions to a new Department of Community Safety. Fine pointed to the bill in arguing that Omar’s defenders oppose border enforcement.
The Justice Department typically steers clear of law enforcement actions against candidates this close to an election. Omar is seeking reelection.
Expelling a sitting member requires a two-thirds vote of the House under the Constitution. Fine has tied the timing of his resolution to the Justice Department’s findings, and he has asked the department for more information on its case.
