Former United States President, Barack Obama, has accused President Donald Trump’s administration of targeting Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar because of her criticism of the president, describing the alleged move to deport her as an attack on American democracy.
Obama, in a statement posted on his verified X account on Sunday, condemned what he described as the selective use of government power against political opponents.
“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. But that’s exactly what the Trump Administration is doing to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota,” he wrote.
Obama explained that Omar arrived in the United States with her father when she was 12 years old.
He said her father became a naturalised American citizen five years later, when she was 17.
According to the former president, Omar automatically acquired citizenship through her father because she was below 18 at the time.
He also highlighted her political journey, noting that she graduated from college, worked as a community organiser and became the first Somali-American woman elected to public office in the United States before securing a seat in Congress.
Obama said Omar’s outspoken criticism of the Trump administration had made her a frequent target of the president.
“Congresswoman Omar has been one of the Trump Administration’s fiercest critics, which has led the president to repeatedly single her out as someone who he believes does not belong in this country,” he stated.
The former president alleged that the administration was now attempting to deport Omar based on an unsubstantiated claim that she was 18 when her father became a naturalised citizen and, consequently, was not eligible for citizenship through him.
He further alleged that federal agents had raided her home, confiscated personal records and seized her phone in an effort to obtain evidence supporting the claim.
“Think about that. The full weight of the federal government is being brought down on a law-abiding elected official because she has dared to criticise the president,” Obama said.
He accused the Trump administration of pursuing individuals it considered political enemies, citing cases involving New York’s attorney general, a former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and members of the Federal Reserve.
According to Obama, some of those cases had stalled or been dismissed because of a lack of sufficient legal grounds.
He expressed confidence that the case against Omar could meet a similar fate but warned that the legal proceedings could still impose significant financial and personal burdens on the congresswoman.
Obama said the case could leave Omar facing mounting legal bills and distract her from her responsibilities as an elected representative of Minnesota.
He also urged Americans to condemn what he described as attempts to intimidate political opponents, regardless of their views about the congresswoman.
“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,” he said.
Obama warned that allowing such actions to become normalised could encourage future presidents to target their political opponents.
“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,” he added.
