Ilhan Omar’s family reportedly lost more than 100 people at sea fleeing Somalia

Ilhan Omar’s family reportedly fled Somalia’s civil war in 1991 on a four-day voyage by wooden boat to Kenya, as militia forces took control of Mogadishu. A former Kenyan engineer says boats sank during the crossing and more than 100 people died; the account adds detail to Omar’s early refugee history, which is now under federal scrutiny.

The investigation is examining discrepancies in Omar’s recorded birth year, which appears as 1981 or 1982, and her account that she became a US citizen in 2000, aged 17, through her father’s naturalisation. It is also examining questions about her 2009 marriage, including an allegation she denies that her husband was her brother. Omar says the investigation is politically motivated; the article reports that federal agents recently seized her phone and passport.