U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York accused the Trump administration on Monday of sending federal officials to raid the home of Rep. Ilhan Omar, calling the search the culmination of years of “slanderous attacks” and an “unprecedented abuse of power.” Her post on X came just three weeks before the November 3 midterm elections, as federal agents carried evidence boxes out of the Minnesota Democrat’s Washington residence.
Ocasio-Cortez posted her statement at 11:36 AM on October 12, 2026. The post read in full:
“For years, the Trump admin has launched slanderous attacks against Rep. Omar. This morning, the administration sent federal officials to raid her home.
We cannot and will not accept this unprecedented abuse of power. I stand with @Ilhan.”
The Raid
The search was carried out by agents with Homeland Security Investigations, a unit of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The street outside Omar’s home was blocked off while agents removed boxes labeled “Seized Property Evidence.” The Justice Department said in a statement that agents had “executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the Department of Justice” as part of “an ongoing federal investigation,” without giving further details.
Ocasio-Cortez shared her post alongside an article from The Associated Press on the search. It said agents had searched Omar’s home in a criminal probe, and that Omar had vowed she would not “be silenced.” The scope of the investigation was unclear, though a person familiar with the matter told Reuters it relates to alleged immigration fraud. Part of the probe concerns immigration paperwork filled out by Omar’s late father when she was a child.
Omar’s Response
Omar, who is 44 and seeking a fifth term in the House, responded in her own statement on X. “For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns,” she said. “This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation. I will not be silenced.” She described the search as an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement.
Ocasio-Cortez’s Earlier Warning
Monday’s post was not the first time Ocasio-Cortez had addressed the administration’s treatment of Omar. In January, hours after an assailant sprayed Omar with a substance at a Minneapolis town hall that turned out to be vinegar, Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X: “It is not a coincidence that after days of President Trump and VP Vance putting Rep. Omar in their crosshairs with slanderous public attacks, she gets assaulted at her town hall.” Her use of the word “slanderous” in both posts, nine months apart, signals a consistent position on the administration’s rhetoric toward Omar.
The Investigation’s Background
Months of public statements from administration officials preceded the search. Vice President JD Vance told reporters in May there would be an investigation, saying, “If we think there’s a crime, we’re going to prosecute that crime.” Omar has denied his immigration fraud allegations, and her office dismissed his earlier claims as fabricated and defamatory.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said last month on a conservative podcast that “something’s gonna happen” in the investigation into Omar’s family’s entry into the United States. “If we can prove that you shouldn’t have been here in the first place, we’ll deport you,” Mullin said at the time.
Trump’s Response
The raid came days after Trump described Omar at a rally in Tennessee as coming from a country of “crime and squalor” and suggested that Vance “and our people” were investigating her. Hours after Monday’s search, Trump told reporters he had “nothing to do” with it and that it is “really up to the DOJ.” Border czar Tom Homan said the Justice Department is leading the investigation with the Department of Homeland Security, but declined to address its specifics.
The Election-Timing Question
Democrats focused on the timing. The Justice Department has historically avoided overt investigative steps against political candidates within about 60 days of an election, though the policy is not enforceable. Randall Eliason, a George Washington University law professor and former federal public corruption prosecutor, said the raid appears to break with that practice. “The idea is to avoid even the appearance of any kind of interference by the Department of Justice with the political process,” he said.
A person familiar with the investigation said the Justice Department consulted its Public Integrity Section and acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter before the search. The Trump administration has reduced that section to about two lawyers.
Reaction From Democrats and Republicans
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, joined by Reps. Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar, called the raid “deeply disturbing” and vowed to “deliver full accountability” for a “rogue abuse of power.” Their statement said Trump’s “mass deportation machine has descended upon the home of a duly elected Member of Congress and her family.” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz wrote that “President Trump is abusing his power to go after political opponents weeks before an election.”
Few Republicans commented publicly. Rep. Nancy Mace wrote: “If the fraud is proven, she should be denaturalized and removed from this country. NO ONE is above the law.”
A Pattern of Investigations
The Justice Department during Trump’s second term has investigated or charged a range of the president’s perceived adversaries, including former FBI Director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James and former national security adviser John Bolton. The case against James and one of two against Comey were thrown out by a federal judge, and Bolton pleaded guilty. No charges against Omar have been announced.
What Is at Stake
Omar represents a safe Democratic district in Minneapolis and won reelection in 2024 by 50 percentage points. Control of Congress is at stake nationally. As of Monday, the prediction market Polymarket put Democrats’ odds of winning the House at 91%.
Ocasio-Cortez is also a prominent figure in the next presidential cycle. Polymarket currently gives her the second-highest odds for the 2028 presidential election at 13%, behind Vance at 22%.