New development: Will Trump deport the Muslim congresswoman?

US President Donald Trump shared a report this week stating that the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is refusing to disclose documents related to Muslim congresswoman Ilhan Omar, claiming that their release could interfere with "enforcement proceedings." Trump shared the report without further commentary, but the move has reignited the question of whether authorities are examining the immigration fraud allegations raised against Omar over the years—allegations she denies—and whether this could evolve in the future into an attempt to revoke her citizenship.

Trump himself has already called several times to send Omar, who was born in Somalia and became an American citizen, back to her country of birth, but as of now, no official procedure for revoking her citizenship or deporting her has been announced.

Ilhan Omar was born in Somalia to a Muslim family. Following the civil war in the country, she and her family fled Somalia, and after a period in a refugee camp, they arrived in the US. Omar received American citizenship in 2000 and later entered politics. Today, she serves as a Democratic congresswoman from Minnesota and is considered one of the figures identified with the progressive wing of the party.

Omar also became one of the first Muslim women elected to the US Congress, and her background—from being a refugee from Somalia to becoming an elected official in Washington—has become a central part of her public persona.

At the same time, she has become over the years one of Trump's prominent political rivals. The two have clashed many times over immigration policy, foreign policy, and Omar's statements, and Trump has attacked her repeatedly regarding her Somali origin as well.

In recent months, Trump has intensified his rhetoric against her. In January 2026, he published a post in which he linked Omar to a major fraud case in Minnesota and claimed it was a "$19 billion Somali fraud." Trump called her a "fake congresswoman" and claimed she hates the US. According to him, Omar "should be in jail, or a worse punishment—sent back to Somalia."

The US President has also repeated similar messages on other occasions and called to "send her back" or remove her from the US. However, the President's statements are not in themselves proof that Omar committed an offense and are not sufficient to initiate a deportation procedure.

Omar has been an American citizen since 2000, so she cannot simply be deported from the US. For such a move to be possible, her citizenship would first need to be revoked in a legal proceeding. Revoking citizenship from a naturalized person can be done in certain cases, for example, if the state succeeds in proving that the citizenship was obtained through fraud or by concealing material information. Simply put, the US President cannot decide on his own that Omar will be sent to Somalia. To reach such a result, a legal basis and an appropriate procedure would be required in which the allegations against her would be examined and proven.

One of the allegations that has accompanied Omar for years is that she married her biological brother to assist with immigration matters. Omar has vehemently denied the claim, and it has not been proven in a court ruling that determined she obtained her citizenship through fraud.

This distinction is especially significant when talking about the possibility of revoking citizenship. An allegation circulated in the public or political arena is not in itself sufficient to revoke citizenship. If the authorities wish to do so, they will have to present evidence and meet the legal requirements for such a process.

Earlier this week, Trump shared on "Truth Social" a report that immigration authorities refused to release documents related to Omar, claiming that their disclosure could harm "enforcement proceedings." The report sparked speculation that an investigation or enforcement activity related to her immigration matters might be underway.

Trump himself did not add commentary to the post clarifying what the documents mean or whether he knows of a specific process being conducted against her. Therefore, the mere fact that documents were not released does not prove that Omar committed an offense, nor does it prove that the administration has begun acting to revoke her citizenship. The development gains additional significance because the Trump administration is generally increasing the use of citizenship revocation procedures against people naturalized in the US, in cases where it is alleged that citizenship was obtained through fraud or illegally.