40 Democrats passed on the letter condemning the Omar raid

Forty members of the House Democratic Caucus chose not to sign a formal rebuke of the federal government’s handling of Representative Ilhan Omar’s case. The letter, sent on October 26, was signed by 175 members of Congress. It addresses Attorney General Todd Blanche and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin regarding the investigation into the Minnesota Democrat.

The probe began with a raid on Omar’s home in Washington, D.C., on October 12. The operation occurred in the early morning hours. The inquiry focuses on alleged immigration fraud related to her 2009 marriage to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi. According to The New York Times, officials are examining whether the marriage was intended to help Elmi obtain a green card. That specific accusation was widely debunked during Omar’s first run for elected office in 2016.

The letter states that the signatories are "profoundly alarmed by your weaponization of federal law enforcement against her." It demands that the administration refrain from taking further actions that could affect the outcome of any upcoming election. Omar is currently facing a reelection bid.

Kathy Castor, who represents Tampa Bay in Florida’s 14th Congressional District, was among the 40 Democrats who did not add their names to the document. She is not the only Florida representative missing from the list. Darren Soto, who serves District 9, and Jared Moskowitz, who serves District 23, also did not sign. It is unclear why Castor abstained from the joint statement. Creative Loafing Tampa Bay reached out to her office for comment but had not received a response as of publication.

Castor is running for reelection against Republican Michael Beltran. Her decision aligns with a recent pattern of distancing herself from the progressive wing of her party. In September of last year, she joined Republicans to support a bill condemning Democratic Socialism. She was only one of two Florida Democrats to do so. During a debate on WMNF radio early this month, Castor reaffirmed that position. She said, "I reject socialism." She added that she crossed the aisle to condemn it in all forms because many neighbors in the Tampa Bay area fled such systems.

The next major step in the political cycle involves the upcoming election. The letter explicitly asks the executive branch to hold off on new actions until that process concludes. The 40 unsigned Democrats will continue their campaign activities in their respective districts while the federal investigation into Omar proceeds.