Minnesota has been rocked by a series of massive fraud scandals targeting taxpayer-funded social services programs, with losses potentially exceeding $9 billion since 2018, according to federal prosecutors. That appears to be just the tip of the iceberg as independent journalist Nick Shirley recently exposed further scams involving daycare and healthcare businesses that appear to be fraudulent fronts.
The original schemes—primarily involving child nutrition programs during the COVID-19 era, autism therapy services, housing stabilization aid, and other Medicaid benefits—have largely implicated individuals from the state’s Somali-American community. Dozens of defendants, nearly all of Somali descent, have been charged in connection with these cases, including the infamous Feeding Our Future scandal that alone defrauded at least $250 million intended for feeding hungry children.
The fraud that Shirley and others have uncovered will likely end up being just as big if not bigger.
As details emerge, many Americans understandably demand action. Calls for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to intervene and deport those responsible have grown louder, especially amid recent enforcement operations in the Twin Cities area. However, this approach misses the mark on a critical fact: the vast majority of Minnesota’s Somali population consists of U.S. citizens who cannot be deported.
Estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey place Minnesota’s Somali-descended population at around 108,000 in 2024. Of these, nearly 58% were born in the United States, making them natural-born citizens. Among the foreign-born, an overwhelming 87% are naturalized U.S. citizens. Only about 5,000 to 5,800 individuals of Somali descent in the state are non-citizens, including those with permanent residency, visas, or limited protections like Temporary Protected Status (TPS)—a number recently targeted for revocation but affecting far fewer people than the broader community.
The perpetrators in these fraud cases are predominantly U.S. citizens or long-term residents, not recent immigrants subject to straightforward deportation. ICE’s role in immigration enforcement simply does not apply here. Deportation is not a viable remedy for American citizens committing crimes on U.S. soil.
Instead, the solution lies with the FBI and local law enforcement. As FBI Director Kash Patel announced this weekend, the bureau has already “surged” personnel and resources into Minnesota to dismantle these large-scale fraud networks exploiting federal programs. Federal prosecutors, led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota, have secured over 90 indictments across related schemes, with more than 50 guilty pleas and convictions in the Feeding Our Future case alone by late 2025. Ongoing investigations into autism services fraud, where providers allegedly recruited Somali families and billed for nonexistent therapy, and other programs underscore the need for rigorous criminal probes.
Thorough investigations, indictments, arrests, prosecutions, and lengthy prison sentences are the appropriate path. These are crimes of greed—defendants have been documented spending stolen funds on luxury cars, overseas properties, and lavish lifestyles. Holding them accountable through the justice system sends a clear message: fraud will not be tolerated, regardless of community ties.
Crucially, aggressive enforcement could have a profound positive impact on the Somali-American community as a whole. Sources within the community, including former investigators like Kayseh Magan, have noted that fraud proceeds often circulate through tight-knit networks, funding businesses, remittances, and local economies. A significant portion of the illicit gains supports extended families and community enterprises. Cracking down on these schemes would disrupt the flow of dirty money, forcing legitimate economic activity and deterring future criminal enterprises.
This is not about scapegoating an entire community. But ignoring the concentration of defendants in these scandals does no favors. Proper FBI-led enforcement protects taxpayers, restores integrity to vital programs for truly needy families (including many in the Somali community), and ultimately strengthens the community by rooting out corruption.
President Trump’s administration is right to spotlight this crisis and deploy federal resources. But the fix is criminal justice, not immigration raids. Let the FBI finish the job: investigate relentlessly, prosecute vigorously, and jail the guilty. Minnesota—and America—deserves nothing less.
JD talked about this on his latest episode of The JD Rucker Show.
