Former United States President Barack Obama has accused President Donald Trump’s administration of targeting Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar because of her political views, warning that such actions threaten American democracy.
In a statement shared on his X account, Obama said the government should not use its powers to target individuals for their political beliefs or public statements.
“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,” Obama said.
He accused the Trump administration of violating that principle through its efforts to investigate and deport Omar, a Minnesota representative who has repeatedly criticised the president.
Obama said Omar arrived in the United States with her father at the age of 12. Five years later, her father became a naturalised citizen, allowing her to acquire citizenship automatically because she was 17 at the time.
Omar later graduated from college, worked as a community organiser and became the first Somali-American woman elected to the US Congress.
Obama said her criticism of Trump had made her a frequent target of the president, who had repeatedly questioned whether she belonged in the country.
He alleged that federal authorities were now seeking to deport the congresswoman based on an unsubstantiated theory that she was 18 when her father became a naturalised citizen, which would mean she was not automatically eligible for citizenship.
According to Obama, federal agents had raided Omar’s home, confiscated personal records and seized her phone in an attempt to find evidence to support the allegation.
He compared the case with previous actions by the Trump administration against individuals it considers political opponents, including the New York Attorney General, a former head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and members of the Federal Reserve.
Obama said earlier prosecutions in those cases had stalled or been dismissed for lacking legal grounds, adding that Omar’s case could meet a similar outcome.
However, he warned that the legal proceedings had already disrupted her work as an elected representative, forcing her to spend time defending herself against allegations rather than serving her constituents.
Obama Warns Of Wider Threat To Democracy
The former president said the case should concern Americans regardless of their political views or opinions about Omar.
“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 conduct to become normal could encourage future presidents from either political party to target their 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.”
Omar, a Democratic representative for Minnesota, has been among Trump’s most vocal critics. The dispute highlights continuing tensions between the president and political opponents over immigration, citizenship and the use of federal authority.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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