Federal agents search Rep. Ilhan Omar's home as part of a criminal investigation, AP sources say

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal agents on Monday searched the home of Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar as part of a criminal investigation, a startling escalation that brings renewed scrutiny to the frequent target of Trump administration derision in the final weeks of her reelection bid.

The search of the Minnesota congresswoman's home was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations agents, said two people familiar with the matter, who were not authorized to publicly discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. The nature and scope of the investigation were unclear, though Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said last month that there was an “ongoing investigation” and “something's going to happen.”

The search took place ahead of next month’s midterm elections, in which Omar is on the ballot for reelection. Longstanding Justice Department protocol cautions against overt law enforcement actions in the weeks before an election that could influence public opinion.

An email seeking comment was sent Monday to a representative for Omar.

President Donald Trump and fellow Republicans from the highest ranks of party leadership have repeatedly and publicly criticized the Somali-born Omar over her status as an immigrant to the U.S. and her left-wing views. Trump as recently as this past weekend brought up Omar at a rally in Tennessee, where he attacked her upbringing and suggested that Vice President JD Vance “and our people” were investigating her.

Vance has in the past accused Omar of committing immigration fraud — an allegation she has denied — and has said he and a top White House official were trying to figure out how to investigate her.

The Justice Department said in a statement Monday that HSI agents executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the department in the Washington, D.C., area but provided no other details. The street was blocked off Monday morning as HSI agents remained near the home.

“This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation,” the department said.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, of which Homeland Security Investigations is part, referred questions about the search to the Justice Department.

Omar, who was first elected to the House in 2018, represents Minnesota’s 5th District, including Minneapolis. She is part of The Squad of progressive lawmakers who are a vibrant political force on the left wing of Congress but have also endured repeated attacks from Trump, dating back to his first term. She was one of the first two Muslim-American women in the House and the first African refugee to be elected to Congress.

When Republicans swept control of the House in 2023, they voted to oust Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee, citing her anti-Israel remarks.

In January, Trump lashed out at Omar during a rally in Iowa hours before an assailant sprayed the congresswoman during her own town hall meeting in Minneapolis with a substance that turned out to be vinegar. The attacker was sentenced recently to 14 months in prison.

Republicans have raised questions about Omar's past since before she was even elected, including asserting that she had married her brother and committed immigration fraud. Omar has broadly denied the allegations as “disgusting lies.”

“It certainly seems like something fishy is there, but everybody's entitled to equal justice under the laws,” Vance told reporters in May. “So we're going to investigate it. We're going to take a look at it. If we think there's a crime, we're going to prosecute that crime.”

In a separate interview with conservative podcaster Benny Johnson, Vance said without offering evidence that “we actually think that Ilhan Omar definitely committed immigration fraud against the United States of America.”

He said that he and deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller had been discussing it and “trying to look at what the remedies are.”

“That’s the thing that we’re trying to figure out," he said. "What are the legal remedies now that we know that she’s committed immigration fraud. How do you go after her? How do you investigate her? How do you actually do the thing? How do you build the case necessary to get some, some, some justice for the American people?”

Omar’s office in March dismissed Vance’s claims as fabricated and defamatory.

“This is rich coming from someone who literally said they were willing to ‘create stories’ to redirect the media,” Omar’s chief of staff, Connor McNutt, said in a statement.

“This is a ridiculous lie and desperate attempt to distract from the pedophile protection party’s unpopular war of choice, increasing gas prices, and rapidly dropping polling numbers,” McNutt said of the vice president’s allegations and comments.

Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Michelle L. Price and River Zhang in Washington, Kathy McCormack in Concord, N.H., Mike Catalini in Morrisville, Pa., and Meg Kinnard in Columbia, S.C., contributed.

Homeland Security officers stand on 26th Street NE in Washington, early Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, during an investigation at the residence of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Homeland Security officers speak with local residents on 26th Street NE in Washington, early Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, during an investigation at the residence of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Homeland Security officers walk down 26th Street NE in Washington, early Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, during an investigation at the residence of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

FILE - Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., speaks during a news conference on Jan. 28, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray, File)

FILE - Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., listens during a Congressional spotlight hearing on Capitol Hill, Sept. 22, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., takes questions during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Una sola cosa. Just one thing. That's all Victor Martinez wanted from listeners of his Spanish-language radio station — tell him one positive thing about President Donald Trump.

The calls started rolling in. Someone mentioned the $5,000 payout that Trump promised if Republicans keep control of Congress, which Martinez thought was so hilarious that he played a laugh track.

Then a trucker shared a silver lining from high diesel prices — he was expecting to take an unplanned vacation because he could no longer afford to fill up his rig.

Martinez has been hosting his show for nearly a decade in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, where Latinos have gone from a fifth to nearly a quarter of the population over the same time period. He added an hour of politics to his morning talk show at the end of Trump's first term, and listeners flooded his phone with their worries about the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, their unhappiness with inflation and their concern over Joe Biden's age.

Now, at the halfway mark of Trump's second term, Martinez said people are just as frustrated as they were then. They're angry about higher prices for fuel and groceries, and Republicans could face the consequences in the midterm elections.

“It’s the economy, stupid. That’s what it is. I mean, things have gotten so bad,” Martinez said. “People didn’t think Biden did a good job. Everything was expensive and now it’s worse.”

Martinez broadcasts from a fourth floor studio with hardwood floors and a view of an old church in downtown Allentown. He operates the show's control board like an orchestra conductor and sits in front of a poster with campaign signs for Democrats and Republicans.

The studio is located in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District, where freshman incumbent Ryan Mackenzie faces Democratic challenger Bob Brooks, a retired firefighter and union official, in one of the most closely watched races in the country.

Latinos are about a quarter of the district's population, and they were a key part of Trump's winning coalition two years ago.

Both candidates have organized Latino outreach efforts.

Brooks calls himself “Bombero Bob” — Spanish for firefighter — and recently stopped by a Mexican restaurant and a barber shop with a Dominican flag hanging inside. Mackenzie's campaign has promoted support from Latino voters and officials, and the congressman opened a district office in downtown Allentown with Spanish-speaking staff.

Martinez is a longtime critic of the president, and this year is backing Brooks. But he said his political roots are in the Republican Party. He supported candidates like Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush, and he opposed Biden's decision to seek reelection because he was too old.

Martinez said he uses his show to keep people engaged with politics when some have despaired about the prospect of things getting better.

“I got a call yesterday from a guy that said that he was just not going to vote,” Martinez said. “I understand that feeling of frustration, but not doing nothing is not the answer.”

Republicans know Martinez's show is an avenue to reach voters, and they're buying advertising time on it.

Jackie Rivera, vice chair of Lehigh County Republicans, said the party wants to hold on to the support from Latino voters that Trump won over two years ago, and that means connecting with them on issues like “faith and family.”

Although Trump often brags about the economy under his leadership, she said her party wasn't making the same mistake as Democrats did before.

“We’re not pretending everything is great right now,” she said. “You have to be honest with them so that they can believe in you and actually trust in what you’re stating to them.”

Matt Tuerk, Allentown’s Democratic mayor, said this year’s election has the “same vibes” as two years ago, when Biden was trying to convince people that the economy was strong.

“People on the street were like, ‘Yeah, but my monthly childcare bill is higher and then my monthly mortgage, the price of groceries is ridiculously high,’” he said. “That’s the same story that you hear right now. There’s been no improvement.”

Claudia Parrales-DeLeon, a Democratic listener from Allentown, said Martinez’s show helps people feel connected as they pay more for gas and groceries and face Trump’s immigration crackdown.

“I don’t know if it makes people less afraid, as much as it makes people more informed,” she said.

She recalled listening one day when a particular caller's story brought tears to her eyes.

“This one gentleman who shared how he just lost his job, he can’t find work, doesn’t even know where he’s going to get his next meal for him and his children," she said.

Alberto Pena isn’t a regular listener to Martinez, but his concerns are similar. For nearly two decades, Pena and his wife have run a Dominican restaurant in Allentown, where the aroma of crispy pastelillos and savory rice fills the dining room.

He voted for Trump hoping he’d turn things around after high inflation under Biden. But they're still “living day by day,” and he's leaning toward Brooks this year.

“This is not what we expected,” he said. “The economy is completely on the ground."

Victor Martinez, who runs La Mega 101.7, a Spanish-language radio station in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, hosts a politics talk show from his studio in Allentown, Pa., Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Victor Martinez, who runs La Mega 101.7, a Spanish-language radio station in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, speaks during an interview after hosting a politics talk show from his studio in Allentown, Pa., Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Victor Martinez, who runs La Mega 101.7, a Spanish-language radio station in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, hosts a politics talk show from his studio in Allentown, Pa., Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Alberto Pena who operates Las Palmas Restaurant that serves Dominican food, speaks as his son Miguel, looks on in Allentown, Pa., on Sept. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Alberto Pena who operates Las Palmas Restaurant that serves Dominican food, puts on his apron at the business he operates in Allentown, Pa., on Sept. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Alberto Pena who operates Las Palmas Restaurant that serves Dominican food, speaks during an interview in Allentown, Pa., on Sept. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Victor Martinez, who runs La Mega 101.7, a Spanish-language radio station in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, hosts a politics talk show from his studio in Allentown, Pa., on Sept. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)