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Two Republican lawmakers are calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the citizenship of Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, a Somali-born lawmaker known for her progressive politics and criticism of U.S. foreign policy. The move, led by Representatives Randy Fine of Florida and Andy Ogles of Tennessee, is part of a broader Republican push to scrutinize the citizenship of naturalized Americans. The two lawmakers claim that some immigrants may have broken naturalization laws and should lose their citizenship if they provided false information during the process.
Randy Fine, who recently won a special election to represent Florida’s 6th District, has become a controversial figure for his strong pro-Israel stance and inflammatory comments about Muslims and Palestinians. Earlier this year, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) labeled him an anti-Muslim extremist after he repeatedly called for violence against Palestinians, even suggesting that Israel should “nuke Gaza.” Despite his rhetoric, Fine continues to enjoy financial support from major corporate donors such as Boeing and Comcast, according to campaign records.
Last week, Fine introduced a new bill, H.R. 5817, which would prevent individuals who hold or previously held foreign citizenship from serving in Congress. In a post on X, he claimed that America has “suffered from massive naturalization fraud” and demanded that the Justice Department review all naturalizations from the past 30 years, specifically naming Ilhan Omar, journalist Mehdi Hasan, and New York lawmaker Zohran Mamdani.
Andy Ogles, a Tennessee Republican and member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, supported Fine’s call and accused Mamdani of lying during his naturalization process. Ogles has a history of targeting immigrant politicians, having earlier referred to Mamdani as an “antisemitic, socialist, communist” who “should be deported.” His remarks were widely condemned by Muslim and civil rights groups as xenophobic. Ogles has now turned his attention to Omar, suggesting that her criticism of Israel and U.S. foreign policy justifies a federal investigation into her citizenship.
Ilhan Omar’s life story is well known. She fled Somalia as a child during the country’s civil war and lived in a refugee camp before resettling in the United States. She became a U.S. citizen in 2000 and made history in 2018 as one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, alongside Michigan’s Rashida Tlaib. Representing Minnesota’s 5th District, Omar has been a vocal critic of U.S. military actions abroad and of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom she has called a “war criminal” over the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The Justice Department has not responded to Fine and Ogles’ request. However, advocacy groups such as CAIR and the Muslim Public Affairs Council have strongly condemned the move, calling it a politically motivated attempt to silence Muslim and immigrant voices in American politics. They argue that questioning Omar’s citizenship is part of a larger pattern of targeting minorities and progressive lawmakers.
Political experts have also drawn comparisons between this new push and the “birther” conspiracy theory that falsely questioned former President Barack Obama’s citizenship. They note that such tactics often play on racial and religious prejudices rather than addressing real policy issues. Legal experts emphasize that denaturalization in the U.S. is extremely rare and only happens if the government can prove deliberate deception during the citizenship process — a high legal bar that few cases meet.
The controversy reflects the growing polarization in American politics, where questions of identity and loyalty increasingly dominate over policy discussions. While Fine and Ogles argue that their actions protect national security and uphold the integrity of citizenship, critics say their efforts are aimed at undermining the legitimacy of Muslim and immigrant leaders like Ilhan Omar. The debate underscores a deeper cultural divide, one that pits America’s values of inclusion and diversity against rising nationalist rhetoric.