Barack Obama condemned Tom Homan’s statement that Rep. Ilhan Omar could “of course” be denaturalized and deported if evidence shows citizenship fraud, casting a federal probe as retaliation for criticizing the president.
Former President Barack Obama took to X on Sunday morning to denounce comments from border czar Tom Homan about Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. Homan had answered a Fox News question the day before about whether a citizenship investigation could lead to stripping her of status and removing her from the country.
Homan’s reply was direct. The exchange came days after federal agents searched Omar’s Washington, D.C., home on October 12, carried out boxes, confiscated personal records, and seized her phone. The probe examines whether Omar or her family violated laws when she obtained citizenship.
Obama framed the entire effort as punishment. He wrote that “the full weight of the federal government is being brought down on a law-abiding elected official because she has dared to criticize the president.” He added that if this becomes normal, future presidents of either party could do the same.
Obama’s defense of Omar after the raid quickly drew sharp pushback from those who see citizenship rules as non-negotiable.
On Saturday, a Fox News host asked Homan whether the investigation could involve denaturalizing Omar and then deporting her. Homan answered, “Of course.”
He explained the standard: “If you lie during the naturalization process, there is a process to denaturalize somebody.” He noted the government has done it before. “It’s a long, tedious process, but it’s been done before. And certainly, if the evidence points that way, that could happen.” When pressed on other possible angles, Homan said, “I’m not going to go there. I know things, but that’s a question for the FBI.”
"If you lie during the naturalization process, there is a process to denaturalize somebody. We’ve done it before. It’s a long, tedious process, but it’s been done before."
That is the law. Denaturalization requires a federal investigation and court proceedings. It is not a snap decision. Homan described the mechanism without promising any outcome.
The Guardian reported Obama’s post alongside Homan’s television appearance and the earlier search of the congresswoman’s residence.
Obama zeroed in on the age question at the heart of the scrutiny. He said the administration appears to be acting “seemingly based solely on the unsubstantiated theory that she was actually 18 when her father was naturalized, and therefore is not a citizen.”
According to the account Obama laid out, Omar arrived in the United States with her father at age 12. Five years later, when her father naturalized and she was 17, she gained citizenship through him. An 18-year-old would have needed a separate application. Her father, Nur Omar Mohamed, died in June 2020. Omar’s lawyers say she became a naturalized citizen in 2000 after the family fled Somalia’s civil war when she was eight, spent years in a Kenyan refugee camp, and reached the U.S. in the 1990s.
Obama also objected to the tactics: “Federal agents have raided her home, confiscated personal records, and seized her phone, all to try and uncover a nonexistent smoking gun from 20 years ago that will somehow make their case.” He recalled that his own citizenship had faced scrutiny years earlier.
"Now the Administration is actively trying to deport Congresswoman Omar, seemingly based solely on the unsubstantiated theory that she was actually 18 when her father was naturalized, and therefore is not a citizen."
The search produced more than a dozen subpoenas, including for relatives. Omar’s attorneys later sent a letter stating there is “no legitimate basis for any suggestion that she has violated any law concerning her citizenship status.” They demanded return of her property and preservation of any audio or video from the search. They also accused the Justice Department of risking influence on an election in violation of longstanding internal policy.
That letter fight and the broader citizenship questions have already been tracked in coverage of how the border czar addressed possible deportation if fraud is proven.
Omar posted on X after the raid that she was “ok.” She went further: “Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement.” She said Trump “has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns” and called the search “just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation.” She closed with “I will not be silenced.” Omar is on the ballot in the November midterms. The investigation surfaced only weeks before those elections.
"Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement. Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns."
Peter Carr, a former career Justice Department spokesperson, told NBC News he was “astounded to see a search of a sitting congressperson this close to an election.” He added that historically the department has been adamant that politics play no role and works to avoid even the perception of influencing a vote.
Family reaction and swirling rumors after the D.C. search have also drawn notice, including reports on how Omar’s husband responded as speculation spread.
The Omar matter sits inside a wider effort. As of April the Justice Department had reportedly identified nearly 400 foreign-born citizens for possible denaturalization investigation. The administration is pursuing dozens of cases against people it says obtained citizenship through fraud. Resources have shifted toward arrests, detention, and removal of illegal immigrants while legal migration pathways also face tighter enforcement.
Homan’s “of course” answer simply restated that fraud has consequences. Lying on naturalization paperwork is not a protected political act. A sitting member of Congress does not receive a free pass if evidence later shows the original grant of citizenship rested on false statements. Court review still stands between any allegation and actual loss of status.
Obama’s intervention treats the probe itself as the scandal. He urges Americans to defend Omar and warns of a slippery slope. Yet the sequence is straightforward: a search warrant executed, records and a phone taken, subpoenas issued, and a border official asked a direct question about the legal tools available if the evidence supports fraud.
Related reporting has examined how Obama branded the citizenship probe as political targeting from the start.
Grand jury developments continue to unfold in the same orbit, keeping pressure on the underlying claims rather than the cable-news framing.
Citizenship is not a participation trophy. When federal investigators examine whether the paperwork was clean, the proper response is evidence and process, not a former president declaring the inquiry illegitimate because the target criticizes the current one. Lawful status has to mean something, or it means nothing.
