Ilhan Omar to leave Washington home after federal immigration raid

US congresswoman Ilhan Omar says she plans to move out of her Washington DC apartment after federal agents searched the home on 12 October as part of a larger immigration investigation.

The Minnesota Democrat, who has been a frequent target of Donald Trump's public attacks, told MS Now in an interview broadcast on Wednesday that remaining at the address was no longer practical.

"I mean obviously, I can't continue to live there," Omar told host Chris Hayes, explaining that the address is public, that she deals with death threats, and that it would not be safe to have her children visiting.

Omar also denied allegations of immigration fraud. She said claims that she was in a sham marriage with her brother and that she had given incorrect details on immigration paperwork began on a Somali blog before being taken up by right-wing conspiracy theorists in Minneapolis. Those theories, promoted by people in the president's orbit including cabinet officials and right-wing influencers, have been described as baseless.

Omar said she believes the raid was carried out to satisfy Trump loyalists. "They had to do something, I believe, to say, 'Hey, look we raided her house,'" she told Hayes.

What happened during the search

According to Omar, between 15 and 25 Homeland Security Investigations agents surrounded the property and pounded on the door at about 6am while she, her husband and her 20-year-old son were inside. She said she thought something was on fire, scrambled to dress and reached the door before agents broke it.

The agents then executed a search warrant. Omar said they went through the home room by room for nearly five hours and left with 17 items, including several phones.

"You don't show up to somebody's house that early in the morning unless you're trying to freak them out," she said.

Years-long feud with Trump

The raid marked an escalation of a long-running dispute between Omar and the president, who has repeatedly denigrated her character, her faith and her Somali heritage. On Tuesday, answering reporters at the White House, Trump called her a "sick, very dishonest person who hates our country".

Asked whether Omar could face deportation over alleged misstatements in her immigration paperwork, Trump replied: "Well, she could be. She could also go to jail."

Omar said she would not be driven out, telling Hayes that her critics would take greater satisfaction from her leaving than from any other outcome. "I have a legal right to be a member of Congress," she said.

Source: The Guardian.