Federal agents gathered garbage from Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-Minn.) property in an effort to obtain DNA from the congresswoman and her family members prior to this week’s raids.
Investigators have historically employed so-called “dumpster diving” tactics when search warrants are not feasible or risk alerting investigatory targets to an active probe.
The practice is legally permissible under U.S. law, allowing federal agents to collect discarded trash and examine it for genetic material without a warrant.
Multiple sources familiar with the investigation told NewsNation that potential DNA evidence is considered critical to the broader federal case surrounding Omar.
Those sources say the scope of the investigation extends well beyond the longstanding public accusations tied to Omar’s immigration history or marital status.
The probe reportedly encompasses family members of the congresswoman, with evidence expected to be presented before a grand jury in the near term.
Relatives of the lawmaker have been named in subpoenas issued by federal prosecutors, and more than a dozen raids occurred simultaneously alongside the widely reported search of her Washington, D.C. residence Monday.
Federal agents seized Omar’s phone during the raid at her Washington home, a development that drew significant national media attention and political reaction.
The case is being coordinated through the Minneapolis office of Homeland Security Investigations, a detail that sources suggest may link the investigation to public benefits fraud involving members of the Somali immigrant community in the region.
Omar, who was born in Somalia and arrived in the United States as a refugee in 1995 before becoming a naturalized citizen in 2000, is reportedly under scrutiny over whether her age was accurately documented in citizenship paperwork.
According to reports, Omar was listed as 17 years old when her father became a citizen, which allowed her to obtain citizenship herself given she was under 18 at the time.
Omar has publicly stated that the Department of Justice has been weaponized against her, framing the investigation as politically motivated given her history as a frequent critic of President Trump.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin pushed back on that characterization, telling Real America’s Voice on Friday that the case is “about enforcing our nation’s laws.”
Sources close to the investigation warned that the likely coming indictments will be, in their words, stunning in nature and far beyond anything the public has understood the case to be about.
