A ‘Fox News @ Night’ panel examines a recent op-ed written by Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and discusses the Republican Party's challenges for the midterm elections.
Cruz says Rep Ilhan Omar could face jail time, deportation if marriage allegation proves true
by Alex Miller · Fox NewsNEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A top Senate Republican argued that if allegations against "Squad" member Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., that she married her brother to enter the U.S. were true, she’d be breaking several laws.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, joined the long-standing scrutiny against Omar Friday after President Donald Trump revived the allegations during a rally pushing his affordability agenda in Pennsylvania earlier this week.
In a post on X responding to a White House social media account that charged, "Yes, [Omar] married her brother," Cruz listed a trio of federal and state laws the progressive lawmaker may have violated.
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"If this is true, then Omar faces criminal liability under three different statutes," Cruz said.
Cruz argued that Omar could have committed federal marriage fraud, which stipulates that it is a felony to knowingly enter into a marriage to evade immigration laws, and could lead to up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and deportation.
Omar was born in Somalia and came to the U.S. in 1995 after her family was granted asylum. She became a citizen in 2000. Omar, who is Muslim, has been married legally three times, first in a religious marriage to Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi in 2002, then to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi in 2009 before later divorcing and legally marrying Hirsi. In 2020, she married political aide Tim Mynett.
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Cruz noted that Omar could also be breaking Minnesota’s state incest law, a felony in the state punishable by jail time up to 10 years. He also contended that she could be liable for tax fraud, specifically if joint tax returns were filed while she was not legally married.
That violation would levy up to a $100,000 fine and up to three years in prison.
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The Senate Republican’s legal analysis of the situation comes after Trump resurrected the unsubstantiated claims that Omar had married her brother for immigration purposes that have dogged the lawmaker since she entered politics nearly a decade ago. She has denied the allegations.
Still, Trump charged, "She married her brother to get in, right?"
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"If I married my sister to get my citizenship, do you think I'd last for about two hours or something less than that? She married her brother to get in," he said. "Therefore, she's here illegally. She should get the hell out."
Fox News Digital did not immediately hear back for comment from Omar’s office.
Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.