MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — President Donald Trump has linked his administration’s immigration crackdown on Minnesota’s large Somali community to a series of fraud cases involving government programs in which many defendants have roots in the East African country.
Trump last week labeled Minnesota’s Somalis “garbage” and said he did not want them in the United States.
The president’s push comes as Republicans have stepped up their criticism of Gov. Tim Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee, for his alleged failures to prevent fraud. It is already a major issue in the 2026 governor’s race as Walz seeks a third term.
Minnesota has the largest Somali population in the United States About 84,000 of the 260,000 Somalis in the United States live in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. The overwhelming majority are American citizens. Almost 58% were born in the United States and 87% of those born abroad are naturalized citizens.
Here’s a look at the fraud cases and some of the political impacts.
The loss
The extent of losses from a series of major fraud cases being prosecuted by federal authorities in Minnesota is uncertain. Prosecutors put the loss from one case known as Feeding Our Future at just $300 million.
In news interviews and press releases over the summer, prosecutor Joe Thompson estimated that the total from all cases could exceed $1 billion. The Republicans hijacked that number.
Walz said last week that an audit due by the end of January should give a better picture but allowed that the $1 billion figure may be accurate. He said his administration is taking aggressive action to prevent additional fraud. He has been defending how his administration responded.
Feeding Our Future
The Feeding Our Future case was named for the nonprofit that prosecutors say was at the heart of the country’s largest fraud related to COVID-19. It involved a state-run but federally funded program designed to feed children during the pandemic. The defendants were collectively accused of claiming to feed millions of meals to children but instead stealing the money.
The case arose in 2022, during the administration of President Joe Biden, when 47 people were accused. The number of accused has grown to 78 during the ongoing investigation.
So far, 57 people have been found guilty, either because they pleaded guilty or lost during the trial. Thirteen are awaiting trial. Two people were acquitted, although one of them was convicted in a related case of bribing jurors. Five are fugitives and one is dead.
Other cases of fraud
Eight others were indicted in September for their alleged roles in a scheme to defraud government-funded health care benefits from the Minnesota Housing Stability Services Program. Two have already pleaded guilty. Prosecutors said this was just the first wave of charges.
“What we see are schemes piled on top of schemes, which take away the resources intended for those in need. It feels like it never ends.” Thompson said at the time. “I spent my career as a fraud prosecutor and the depth of the fraud in Minnesota took my breath away.”
A week later, prosecutors charged a woman in an autism program fraud scheme and indicated more would follow. She was charged earlier in the Feeding Our Future case.
“Every case we get exposes another branch of this network,” Thompson said in another statement.
Most of the accused are of Somali descent
More than 90% of the people charged in those three cases are of Somali descent for a total of 86, according to the US Attorney’s Office for Minnesota.
This includes 72 of the 78 accused in Feeding Our Future, although the alleged leader was a white American woman. Six of the eight accused in the housing case are Somali, as well as the accused who was charged in both the autism case and in the food fraud cases.
Minnesota’s most prominent Somali American, Rep. American Democrat Ilhan Omar, said on “Face The Nation” of CBS News on Sunday that it is unfair to blame the entire community for the actions of a few relatives. She said most are angry about the fraud.
“This also has an impact on Somalis, because we are also taxpayers in Minnesota,” Omar said. “We could have also benefited from the program and the money that was stolen.”
Omar accused Trump of an “unhealthy obsession” with the community and her personally.
“I think it’s also really important for us to remember that this kind of hateful rhetoric and this level of dehumanization can lead to dangerous actions by people who listen to the president,” she said.
Allegations of terrorism are still unsubstantiated
Trump launched his crackdown after conservative news outlet City Journal claimed that taxpayer dollars from fraudulent programs went to the militant group al-Shabab, an affiliate of al-Qaida.
But Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent admitted on “Face The Nation” that investigators have found no evidence so far that the proceeds of the fraud are fueling terrorism.
Prosecutors have not charged any defendants in the fraud cases with providing material support to foreign terrorist organizations. In contrast, prosecutors have been aggressive in bringing terrorism charges against community members who allegedly tried to join or provide material support to al-Shabab or the Islamic State group.
“That’s why it’s an investigation. We started last week. We’ll see where it goes,” said Bessent.
Omar responded that she is confident that any connection would have already resulted in charges.
“But if this is the case, if money is being sent from American tax dollars to help with terrorism in Somalia, we want to know and we want those people to be prosecuted, and we want to make sure that this never happens again,” said Omar.