Congresswoman Ilhan Omar is in the hot seat after a report was made that she married her brother to protect him from immigration. In 2016, Alpha News reported Omar and Elmi were siblings and had only married to play the immigration system. The Star Tribune said they “could neither conclusively confirm nor rebut the allegation that Elmi is Omar’s sibling,” also noting that they had both declined to comment on the story.

Minnesota Campaign Finance Board uncovered the fact that Omar had filed joint taxes in (2014-2015) with Ahmed Hirsi, who she wasn’t legally married to. During that time, Omar was legally married to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi. Looking further into her marriage history, Minnesota’s largest newspaper, The Star Tribune, broke it down for us:

  • In 2002, Omar married Hirsi in a religious ceremony however, the couple never legally married.
  • In 2008, Omar and Hirsi split, stating that the couple had met an “impasse in [their] life together.”
  • In 2009, Omar legally married Elmi.
  • In 2011, the couple split, but did not legally divorce until 2017.
  • In 2012, Omar and Hirsi reconnected and had their third child.
  • In 2017, Omar was granted a divorce from Elmi.
  • In 2018, Omar legally married Hirsi.

Watch what she said when a reporter questioned her.

The Star Tribune searched public records, university records, marriage and divorce filings, business licenses, and other documents. However, they still weren’t able to find very much information on Elmi. Furthermore, the search of records could not conclusively confirm nor rebut the allegation that Elmi is Omar’s sibling. During an interview, Omar stated, “Like many refugees without birth certificates, anybody can accuse me of whatever they want and I don’t have a way to defend myself.” We think she should address this question once and for all because she holds a seat on Congress. We are still waiting to hear her team’s response.