Obama backs Ilhan Omar amid probe, accuses Trump admin of 'appalling' targeting in lengthy statement

Former President Barack Obama accused the Trump administration of weaponizing the federal government against its political enemies in a social media post defending Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., amid an investigation into the progressive lawmaker's citizenship.

Obama claimed the administration is attempting to strip Omar of her U.S. citizenship and deport her over her criticism of President Donald Trump, warning that the effort could set a dangerous precedent.

"It is a basic principle of American democracy that the government can’t selectively target individuals simply because of their political beliefs or what they say," Obama wrote Sunday on X. "But that’s exactly what the Trump Administration is doing to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota."

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Obama's remarks come after federal agents searched Omar's Washington, D.C., home as part of a criminal investigation into her immigration status.

Sources previously told Fox News Digital that investigators are examining whether Omar or her father committed fraud on immigration paperwork when she became a U.S. citizen decades ago.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., speaks at a news conference ahead of the State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Obama defended Omar's citizenship, saying she arrived in the United States with her father at age 12 and automatically became a citizen at 17 when her father was naturalized.

The former president accused investigators of pursuing an "unsubstantiated theory" that Omar was actually 18 at the time, which he said would have required her to apply for citizenship separately.

Former President Barack Obama speaks during a campaign rally, Oct. 24, 2024, in Clarkston, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)

"The full weight of the federal government is being brought down on a law-abiding elected official because she has dared to criticize the president," Obama wrote.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and Department of Homeland security for comment on the former president's allegations.

Trump has denied involvement in the investigation, previously telling reporters that the matter was up to the Justice Department.

President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Oncenter, on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, in Syracuse, N.Y. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)

"I've always found her to be totally crooked, personally, but that has nothing to do with me," Trump said.

Obama also accused the administration of repeatedly targeting perceived political opponents, pointing to federal actions involving New York's attorney general, a former FBI director and members of the Federal Reserve.

"The fact that any president, or any administration, is willing to engage in such transparent efforts to intimidate someone should outrage all Americans, regardless of how they feel about Congresswoman Omar’s political views," Obama wrote.

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"Because if this becomes the new normal, there’s no reason to believe it will stop with her — or that future presidents, in either party, won’t do the same."

Fox News Digital's Peter D'Abrosca and Amanda Macias contributed to this report.