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By Billal Rahman
Immigration Reporter
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Stephen Miller’s elevation to White House chief of staff could give one of the administration’s most influential immigration hardliners a bigger role in coordinating President Donald Trump’s crackdown on his political enemies as federal authorities continue an investigation involving Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.
“Miller was reportedly exerting significant influence over immigration enforcement before he was elevated to chief of staff, and I expect that to continue in his new role," Neama Rahmani, president of Los Angeles-based West Coast Trial Lawyers and a former federal prosecutor, told Newsweek. "The question is, will Trump continue to make immigration arrests and deportations a top priority after his 60 Minutes interview where he raised the possibility for amnesty."
Newsweek contacted Omar’s office for comment. A White House official told Newsweek that the investigation began before President Donald Trump took office and referred further questions to the Department of Justice.
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What to Know About Miller, Immigration & Omar
Trump announced Friday that Miller, previously his deputy chief of staff, would succeed Susie Wiles after Republicans suffered major losses and Democrats seized control of both the House and Senate in the midterm elections, delivering a major rebuke to the administration's agenda.
Miller, a longtime Trump adviser and chief architect of the administration’s mass deportation plans, was already a central figure in immigration policy before his promotion, serving as deputy chief of staff and homeland security adviser. Omar has also secured her biggest election victory in eight years, winning reelection following the federal raid on her Washington home.
In March, Vice President JD Vance said during an interview with conservative commentator Benny Johnson that he had recently spoken with Miller about possible legal avenues involving Omar. The vice president said that she had committed immigration fraud and said officials were considering "what the remedies are" and how to investigate and build a case. Omar has not been charged with marriage fraud, and no court has found that she committed immigration fraud.
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Homeland Security Investigations agents searched Omar’s Washington home on October 12 under a court-authorized warrant as part of an inquiry involving her family’s immigration records. The Justice Department confirmed the search was connected to an ongoing criminal investigation.
Authorities seized items including Omar’s phone, while the federal government issued more than a dozen grand jury subpoenas, including to members of her family.
Miller’s promotion expands his responsibilities beyond immigration policy and gives him greater influence across the administration as the Omar investigation continues.
Omar has faced years of scrutiny over unfounded allegations that her 2009 marriage to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi was fraudulent and that Elmi was her brother. The claim has not been established by publicly available evidence, and Omar has repeatedly denied it, previously calling the suggestion that Elmi is her brother “absurd and offensive.”
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Federal investigators are now examining immigration records connected to Omar and her family. A source close to the matter previously told Newsweek that investigators obtained a DNA sample and that Omar’s sister, Sahra Noor, voluntarily spoke with investigators.
The White House chief of staff traditionally manages the president's staff and helps coordinate administration priorities. Decisions about searches, criminal charges, and other investigative steps remain subject to the legal processes governing the Justice Department and law enforcement agencies.
For Omar, the immediate legal position has not publicly changed: federal authorities are investigating, but prosecutors have not announced criminal charges against her.
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Rahmani told Newsweek, “With respect to Omar in particular, Miller’s role is more limited. Blanche and the DOJ make charging decisions, and those decisions are reviewed by the courts and ultimately presented to a jury. Miller can receive updates, but he won’t be able to direct the investigation or prosecution.”
In April 2019, Omar publicly called Miller a "white nationalist" and said his influence over policy and political appointments was an "outrage."
"Miller’s appointment presumably gives him greater opportunity to coordinate administration priorities across agencies, including immigration enforcement and fraud detection," Adam Klein, a former senior DHS official and co-founder of Globali.ai, told Newsweek. "But he was already influential in these areas, so I wouldn’t assume his appointment changes anything about the investigation involving Rep. Omar."
Klein said his experience at USCIS showed there is an important distinction between setting enforcement priorities and influencing the outcome of an individual case. Drawing on his work on marriage fraud policy and denaturalization procedures, Klein said evidentiary standards were particularly important when allegations concern events decades in the past. He said he had no firsthand knowledge of the investigation involving Omar and could not assess its merits or whether Miller had influenced it.
“What matters is that the same standards apply to everyone, including political opponents of the administration.”
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