Hold onto your hats, folks -- controversy swirls yet again around Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar as her second husband, Ahmed Elmi, pops up in South Africa, reigniting fiery debates over their past marriage, as the New York Post reports.
The saga of Omar and Elmi, married from 2009 to 2017, continues to fuel speculation about immigration fraud, with right-wing voices like former President Donald Trump tossing out explosive claims of sibling ties while Elmi flaunts a flashy lifestyle abroad.
Let’s rewind to the beginning: Omar, a naturalized U.S. citizen since 2000, entered a legally recognized marriage with Elmi in 2009 in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, officiated by a Christian minister.
Before this, Omar had a non-legal Muslim union with Ahmed Hirsi starting in 2002, bearing two children with him by 2005, and a third in 2012 -- while still legally tied to Elmi.
Public records show Omar, Elmi, and Hirsi sharing an address at times, with social media even capturing friendly snapshots of the two men together. It’s a tangled web that’s raised eyebrows for years.
After their wedding, Omar and Elmi relocated to Fargo, attending the University of North Dakota together until Omar’s graduation in 2011, though questions about their relationship’s authenticity lingered.
Within Minneapolis’ Somali community, murmurs about Elmi’s effeminate style and the secretive nature of the marriage bubbled up early on. Somali blogger Abdihakim Osman noted to the Daily Mail in 2020, “People began noticing that Ilhan and [Hirsi] were often with a very effeminate young guy.”
Osman added, “He was very feminine in the way he dressed.” Such observations only stoked speculation about whether this union was more about paperwork than partnership, especially since marriage fraud carries hefty penalties -- up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The plot thickened when Omar and Elmi divorced in 2017, just before her first congressional run, after which she legally married Hirsi -- only to divorce him in 2019 amid unrelated personal revelations.
Fast forward to a recent Pennsylvania rally on Dec. 9, when Trump didn’t hold back, declaring, “She married her brother in order to get in [the US], right? We ought to get her the hell out.” While such sibling allegations remain unproven, they keep the spotlight squarely on Omar’s past.
Omar has consistently pushed back, labeling these rumors “absurd and offensive” and pointing to racism as the driving force behind the scrutiny. Yet, her silence on specifics -- omitting Elmi from her autobiography and dodging recent press inquiries -- leaves the narrative open to interpretation.
Meanwhile, Elmi, now 40, has left the U.S., pursuing a doctorate at Bristol University in the UK with a focus on “critically queer” and “decolonization” studies, while recently spotted at Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg sporting a visitor’s pass.
On social media, Elmi dubs himself a “dirty dandy,” posting from upscale London cafes and boasting about a “so far, so fab” month in Johannesburg. It’s a far cry from the Minneapolis days, and one can’t help but wonder if this flair distracts from deeper inquiries.
Adding fuel to the fire, federal investigations like Operation Twin Shield have targeted Minneapolis’ Somali community for immigration fraud, with officials citing the area as a “hotbed” for such activities, including marriage scams. While no direct charges link Omar or Elmi to these probes, the timing and context keep suspicion alive.
For conservatives wary of progressive agendas, this story isn’t just gossip -- it’s a cautionary tale about immigration policy loopholes and the need for transparency from elected officials. Omar’s journey from refugee to congresswoman is remarkable, but unanswered questions about her personal history risk undermining trust in a system already stretched thin.
