President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Democratic House of Representatives member, IIhan Omar, may be jailed and not just deported if investigations found her guilty of immigration fraud.
Mr Trump made this remark while fielding questions from journalists in the Oval Office on Tuesday.
Asked whether Ms Omar could be deported if there were issues with her age and immigration record, Mr Trump said, “Well, she could be. She could also go to jail.”
“You know, they keep talking about deportation. No, she could go to jail. This is just my opinion,” Mr Trump said, berating Ms Omar as a terrible person who hates America.
Mr Trump’s comment came amid investigations into Ms Omar’s alleged immigration fraud.
Former American President Barack Obama has described probe into Ms Omar’s immigration record and other related matters a few weeks to the midterm elections as political witch-hunt.
“The full weight of the federal government is being brought down on a law-abiding elected official because she has dared to criticize the president,” Mr Obama said in a post on X, describing Ms Omar’s probe as “so appalling.”
Last week, US Department of Homeland Security agents executed a search warrant, raiding Ms Omar’s Washington DC home in their ongoing investigation into her immigration status.
The Somali born-American politician, Ms Omar accused Mr Trump of weaponsising law enforcement agents.
She dismissed federal agents’ raid of her home as smear campaign.