Ilhan Omar's Ex-Husband Says He's 'Not Straight' — as Investigation Into Claims Rep. Married Her Brother to Secure Immigration Status Intensifies
Ilhan Omar has received criticism after her ex-husband identified himself as a gay man
Oct. 30 2026, Published 4:39 p.m. ET
Rep. Ilhan Omar's former husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, identified himself as a "gay man" in an academic paper published in August, bringing renewed attention to the Minnesota Democrat's controversial 2009 marriage as federal investigators examine her immigration history.
Elmi described himself as "a gay man of the East African diaspora" in his paper, "Out in the Field: Notes on Researching Queer Violence in Kenya."
The article was published Aug. 27 in TOR: The Open Review for the Social Sciences, and the University of Bristol lists Elmi as a PhD researcher in political science.
The disclosure comes as a federal investigation into Omar's immigration records has intensified following an Oct. 12 search of her Washington, D.C., home by Homeland Security Investigations agents.
The Justice Department has said the search was conducted under a judicially authorized warrant.
Ex-Husband Identifies as Gay in Academic Paper
Ilhan Omar's ex-husband claimed in a paer that he is a gay man of the East African diaspora
Elmi's reference to his sexual orientation appears in a discussion of his research into violence against LGBTQ people in Kenya.
The paper does not address his past marriage to Omar, nor does the passage establish anything about the circumstances of their relationship. The University of Bristol confirms Elmi is a doctoral researcher and lists the paper among his academic work.
Omar and Elmi legally married in Minnesota in February 2009. Omar has said their relationship ended in 2011, although their legal divorce was not finalized until December 2017. She legally married Ahmed Hirsi in January 2018.
Marriage Timeline Under Scrutiny
Ilhan Omar and his ex-husband tied the knot in 2009 and they divorced in 2017
The marriage has faced years of scrutiny over allegations that Elmi was actually Omar's brother and that the marriage was intended to help him obtain U.S. immigration status.
Omar has repeatedly denied those claims. Public reporting has not established that Elmi is her brother, and a 2019 review by the Star Tribune raised questions about the couple's marriage history without proving the sibling allegation.
Elmi has also been reported to have pursued a marriage-based green card before withdrawing the application in 2019 after immigration officials requested additional documentation.
The claim has become part of the broader questions surrounding the marriage, but it does not by itself establish marriage fraud.
Federal Probe Intensifies
Ilhan Omar's house in Washington D.C. was searched by the Homeland Security Investigations agents
The current federal investigation appears broader than the 2009 marriage alone. Reuters reported that investigators are examining whether Omar or relatives provided false information during the family's immigration and naturalization process.
A federal filing seeking to keep the search warrant sealed identified Omar as "Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, aka Ilhan Abdullahi Omar."
Reports have also claimed investigators obtained DNA evidence potentially relevant to the allegations involving Elmi, but the evidence has not been publicly released, and its significance has not been established.
The Justice Department said Oct. 28 that investigators were still reviewing evidence seized during the search and had not decided whether to bring charges or whom to charge. No charges have been filed against Omar.
Omar Responds To Allegations
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Ilhan Omar came to America as a child refugee and later became a U.S. citizen
Omar addressed the allegations during an Oct. 21 interview with MS NOW's Chris Hayes, calling the claim that she married her brother "insane."
When Hayes asked whether Elmi was related to her, Omar replied, "Not to my knowledge." She said the allegation began with a Somali blog before being amplified by political opponents.
Omar has previously rejected the brother allegation as "absurd and offensive." She arrived in the United States with her family as a refugee in the 1990s and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2000 at age 17.
