Who is the congresswoman targeted by the Trump administration?

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has declined to comment on media reports suggesting that Ilhan Omar, a Democratic member of the US House of Representatives from Minnesota, could face deportation.

TodayPress TV reports that Leavitt addressed the issue during an appearance on Fox News, responding to a question about whether the US administration was seeking to strip Omar of her American citizenship and deport her.

“Based on publicly available information, an investigation is underway, and the Department of Justice is handling the matter. The President is aware of it and has spoken about it. However, this is a matter for the Department of Justice,” Leavitt said.

She declined to provide further details, adding that all questions on the matter should be directed to the Department of Justice and its head, US Attorney General Todd Blanche.

Earlier, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing sources, reported that US President Donald Trump’s administration was investigating Omar and seeking to gather evidence to strip her of her citizenship and subsequently deport her. According to the newspaper’s sources, investigators are examining the circumstances under which Omar and her family members obtained US citizenship after arriving in the United States from Somalia in 1995.

On October 12, employees of the US Department of Homeland Security searched the lawmaker’s home in the nation’s capital. The Department of Justice later said the search had been conducted as part of an investigation and with court authorisation. Omar accused the Trump administration of attempting to intimidate political opponents, describing the search as an example of the federal law enforcement system being weaponised.

Omar is seeking re-election to the House of Representatives in the upcoming US congressional elections. The US midterm elections will be held on November 3. One-third of the Senate and all seats in the House of Representatives will be contested. Both chambers are currently controlled by the Republican Party.

Aysel Matlab