POLICY WIRE FACT CHECK: Did Ilhan Omar marry her brother? No evidence backing Mullin’s claim
The Claim In September 2026, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin claimed that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was investigating allegations that Democratic U.S. Representative Ilhan...
The Claim
In September 2026, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin claimed that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was investigating allegations that Democratic U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota married her brother to facilitate immigration fraud. The statement was made in a video interview, which has since been archived. This is not the first time such a claim has surfaced; it has been repeatedly circulated by conservative media and amplified by former President Donald Trump and other Republicans since at least 2016.
The specific accusation centers on the idea that Omar married her brother, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, in order to help him gain U.S. citizenship. The claim suggests that this marriage was part of a broader scheme to circumvent U.S. immigration laws. The rumor originally appeared on an online Somali community forum called SomaliSpot and later gained traction through conservative blogs like Powerline. These sources alleged that Elmi, who was a British citizen, moved to the U.S. shortly after the marriage and later returned to the UK, implying that the union was a sham designed for immigration purposes.
The Details & Investigation
Ilhan Omar, the first Somali American elected to the Minnesota state House of Representatives in 2016, has long been the target of unfounded rumors about her personal life and political motivations. According to public records and her own statements, Omar had two significant relationships that have been scrutinized in the context of these allegations. In 2002, she applied for a marriage license with Ahmed Hirsi, who is the father of her three children. However, they never finalized the civil marriage, and the relationship ended in 2008 according to Islamic tradition. In 2009, she married Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, a British citizen, in a legal civil ceremony. The couple divorced in 2011, also according to Islamic practice, and Elmi returned to the United Kingdom.
Omar has consistently denied any familial relationship between herself and Elmi. In a 2016 statement, she clarified that the claim that Elmi was her brother was “absurd and offensive.” She explained that she had entered into a civil marriage with Elmi in 2009, but their relationship ended in 2011, after which he returned to England. Omar also stated that she later reconciled with Ahmed Hirsi, whom she had previously separated from, and they remarried in an Islamic ceremony. In 2018, she legally petitioned for a divorce from Elmi, and in 2019, she finalized the divorce with Hirsi.
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Snopes, which has investigated this claim multiple times, found no credible evidence to support the assertion that Omar married her brother. The organization noted that there is no documentation or official records indicating that Elmi and Omar were siblings. Furthermore, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) policy allows for family-based immigration without the need for a sibling to marry a U.S. citizen. If Elmi had sought U.S. residency, he could have done so through other legal channels, including as a relative of a U.S. citizen, without needing to be married to Omar. Additionally, the timeline of events contradicts the claim: Elmi returned to the UK shortly after their divorce, which would not align with a strategy to secure U.S. citizenship through marriage.
Historical records, including documents presented by Omar in 2018 to a reporter from the Minneapolis Star Tribune, show that her family fled Somalia during the civil war in 1991 and arrived in the U.S. in 1995. The documents listed her father and showed her as the youngest of seven children, but none included Ahmed Nur Said Elmi. This further undermines the claim that he was her sibling. The repeated circulation of this false narrative—amplified by high-profile figures like Trump and Mullin—suggests a pattern of deliberate disinformation rather than an accidental error.
The Verdict
The claim that U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar married her brother to commit immigration fraud is demonstrably false. There is no credible evidence supporting the assertion that Ahmed Nur Said Elmi was her brother or that their marriage was a sham designed to secure U.S. citizenship. Omar has provided detailed accounts of her marital history, and verified records confirm that the individuals involved were not her siblings. The claim originated in speculative forums and was later amplified by conservative media and political figures, suggesting a coordinated effort to spread disinformation.
Given the lack of factual basis and the clear intent to defame a prominent figure, this claim falls under the category of DISINFORMATION. It is a deliberate attempt to undermine Omar’s credibility and stoke fear around immigration and Muslim communities. The repeated use of this false narrative over years indicates a sustained campaign of manipulation, not an unintentional mistake.
Counter-misinformation & disinformation investigation conducted by PolicyWire Editorial Desk (PW).
