The net is closing in on Ilhan Omar: Suspicions that she falsified her birthdate, and several family members have been summoned to testify

The investigation into Ilhan Omar for alleged immigration fraud is closing in on the Democratic congresswoman. Following a search of her home, her birth and naturalization records are being reviewed based on evidence suggesting that the date was falsified. In addition, authorities have subpoenaed several members of her family.

According to The New York Times, and as first reported by the paper, investigators have subpoenaed Sahra Noor, the sister of Omar, and at least one other member of her family as part of the investigation into possible fraud and perjury in the documents she used to obtain U.S. citizenship.

Throughout Tuesday, Fox News reported that the subpoenas had been extended to several other members of the congresswoman's family circle, citing official sources.

Investigators are looking into a change to her date of birth in official records in 2019

In addition, authorities are reviewing a change to the date of birth in Omar's official records after she won her seat in 2018. In 2019, a member of her staff asked the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library to amend the record to change the date listed as 04/10/1981 to 04/10/1982.

In some emails published by the New York Post, the director of the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library wrote: "On May 17, 2019, library staff were informed by Rep. Omar's congressional staff that her year of birth was incorrect and were asked to change it to 1982."

In an email a few days later, the director noted that "Rep. Omar's staff is working with Wikipedia, the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress , and other sources to correct her year of birth on those websites. As of today, the year of birth has not yet been corrected on the two websites I mentioned" [Wikipedia and the Biographical Directory now show 1982].

Although it declined to comment at this time, the Library acknowledged that they had listed the date as 1981 based on what was published on Wikipedia and in the Biographical Directory, without supporting documentation: "The birth year of 1981 had initially been listed because it was widely reported—on Wikipedia and in the Biographical Directory—and, therefore, we added that birth date without supporting documentation."

One year—the key difference in an alleged fraud

This is not a random change. That one-year difference is key to determining whether Omar committed perjury when applying for naturalization and was ineligible for citizenship. If this were proven, and she lied about her date of birth on any type of official document—a passport renewal, a bank loan application, etc.—the congresswoman could face prosecution, since the statute of limitations for naturalization fraud is 10 years.

The congresswoman's own account of her naturalization, which she shared in an interview with The Intercept in 2018, suggests that she obtained citizenship as a minor through her father: "In fact, I obtained citizenship before turning 18. My father obtained citizenship, and thanks to that process, I obtained it as well."

In a phone conversation with the New York Post, AJ Kern, one of her rivals for the seat in 2022, pointed out that "for citizenship to be derived, two conditions must be met: first, that her father must have been naturalized; and, second, that she must still be a minor; and what I've discovered is that it's very likely that neither of those two conditions is met."

Kern filed a complaint with the FEC to demand evidence of how the Democrat obtained her citizenship. However, the complaint went nowhere, as the judge assigned to the case ruled that "it is up to Congress to investigate its members," Kern recalled.

Several sources cited by the NYP suggest that the searches of Omar's home were intended precisely to obtain documentation regarding the naturalization of the congresswoman's father and her own.