Washington DC - Former President Barack Obama has condemned the Trump administration's actions against Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar as an attempt at intimidation following a raid on her home.
"It is a basic principle of American democracy that the government can’t selectively target individuals simply because of their political beliefs or what they say," Obama wrote on X on Sunday.
"But that’s exactly what the Trump Administration is doing to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota."
In his lengthy post, Obama complained that the government was actively trying to deport the Somalia-born Trump critic, "seemingly based solely on the unsubstantiated theory that she was actually 18 when her father was naturalized, and therefore is not a citizen."
Under US citizenship rules, it makes a difference whether someone is under 18 or not. Had Omar been 18 at the time of her father's naturalization, she would have had to apply for citizenship separately, Obama noted. "But because she was 17, she became a naturalized citizen automatically."
Obama himself was once confronted with the false claim, prominently promoted by Trump, that he had been born in Kenya rather than in Hawaii.
Obama issues warning as Trump attacks Ilhan Omar
Last Monday, federal agents searched Omar's home in the Washington area. The move drew heavy criticism, partly because of its timing shortly before the congressional elections, in which she is seeking re-election.
A spokesperson for the Department of Justice told several media outlets that officers from a division of the Department of Homeland Security had carried out a court-approved search warrant obtained by the Justice Department. The action was part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation.
The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials and others familiar with the investigation, that the Trump administration's probe aimed to create a basis for stripping Omar of her US citizenship and deporting her.
According to the report, the investigation focuses, among other things, on the congresswoman's immigration documents. The central question is whether Omar or her father wrongly stated her age as 17 instead of 18 on her naturalization application.
The congresswoman repeatedly faces fierce attacks from Trump. Referring to her Somali roots, he has several times suggested that the US citizen should "go back" to Somalia.
After the raid, Omar lashed out at the Trump administration on X, calling it "an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement."
Obama now criticized that the full power of the US government was being used against a law-abiding, elected congresswoman simply because she had dared to criticize Trump. The Democrat also stressed that the Justice Department under Trump had targeted other people whom the president regards as enemies.
"The fact that any president, or any administration, is willing to engage in such transparent efforts to intimidate someone should outrage all Americans," Obama warned.
If this becomes the new normal, Obama added, there is no reason to think it will stop with Omar.