Ilhan Omar's staff amend her birth year in Minnesota records after 2018 election

After Ilhan Omar was elected to the U.S. House in 2018, her congressional staff contacted the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library on May 17, 2019, to request a correction of her birth year from 1981 to 1982. The library updated the record, explaining that the initial date had been taken from publicly available sources like Wikipedia and the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. The amendment makes Omar a year younger than previously documented, fueling renewed scrutiny over her claim that she was 17 when she became a citizen in 2000, which would require her to have been a minor at the time.

Concurrently, Homeland Security Investigations conducted a raid on Omar’s residence, though the agency did not disclose the investigation’s focus. The library confirmed the birth year had not yet been corrected on the other referenced sites. The episode highlights ongoing concerns about the accuracy of public biographical information for elected officials.