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Expert reveals key factor that led to massive Minnesota fraud scheme
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An ongoing decline in American assimilation and a deep fear of being accused of racism were key factors in the massive fraud scheme in Minnesota that is now coming to light, according to an expert.
Minnesota is facing one of the largest social-services fraud scandals in U.S. history after federal prosecutors uncovered what they describe as «schemes stacked upon schemes» by Somali-run non-profits that siphoned hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars from child-nutrition and Medicaid housing programs.
Prosecutors have since charged more than 70 defendants, a large percentage of whom are members of Minnesota’s Somali community, securing dozens of convictions as new waves of indictments continue. The scandal has triggered state and federal investigations, congressional scrutiny, and calls for accountability over why warnings were missed and how the fraud was allowed to reach this scale.
Simon Hankinson, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center, said that the decline in immigrant assimilation in America was key during an interview with Fox News Digital.
INSIDE ‘LITTLE MOGADISHU’: MINNESOTA’S BELEAGUERED SOMALI COMMUNITY UNDER A CLOUD OF FRAUD AND TRUMP ATTACKS
Two Somali women walk through a Minneapolis neighborhood as Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz appears in a split image. Lawmakers say the state’s oversight failures and political sensitivity around Somali-run nonprofits helped fuel the $1 billion welfare fraud scandal now under federal investigation. (Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Michael Dorgan/Fox News Digital)
«Assimilation is a two-sided coin. The pressure comes from inside, from you wanting to assimilate so you can make it in the new society, but it also comes from outside, where the society says, ‘Hey, we expect you to do this. We expect you, if you want a driver’s license, to be able to speak and read English at a basic level.’ We don’t do that anymore in America. We don’t we don’t really expect anything of our immigrants,» explained Hankinson.
«There are a lot of people who are American-born,» he went on, «who really don’t like this country and what it stands for. And so, they don’t think anyone else ought to accept it and adapt to it either.»
Hankinson noted that in no way can the fraud scheme be blamed writ large on the Minnesota-Somali community, which is estimated to have around 80,000 people. He said that those involved in the scam are a minority. However, the fact that the tight-knit community has by and large not assimilated into the broader American society and customs meant that many of the factors that could have exposed the scheme earlier were not there, according to Hankinson.
«When you come from a culture that provides you with nothing from the center, everything is family, everything is clan, everything is local, then it’s almost impossible for you to understand how a federal system would work. And if your neighbor came to you and said, ‘Hey, we got this cool thing going, if you just say your kid’s autistic, I’ll give you a thousand dollars a month.’ I mean, that’s a no-brainer for an awful lot of people,» he explained.
«Even if they thought that maybe it was wrong on some level, they might think, ‘Well, hang on, in my new country, maybe that’s frowned upon,’ they’re not going to rat out the clan member, the family member,» he added.
TIM WALZ CALLED OUT BY WASHINGTON POST FOR REFUSING TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL
Men take part in a weekly Friday Jum’ah prayer session at Abubakar As-Saddique Islamic Center amid a reported ongoing federal immigration operation targeting the Somali community in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. Dec. 5, 2025. (Tim Evans/Reuters)
That, combined with the existence of generous taxpayer-funded welfare programs and Minnesota being what Hankinson called a «high trust state,» made the state «ill-equipped to handle fraud.»
«In Minnesota, these programs were low-hanging fruit. They were so easy to fleece, it’s almost farcical,» said Hankinson. «So, the carrot is there to commit fraud, and there’s no stick.»
He pointed to one aspect of the scheme in which prosecutors say Minnesota’s Medicaid autism program was exploited by companies recruiting families, securing fraudulent diagnoses, and billing for therapy that never happened, draining millions from the program.
«That is outrageous. Somebody should have noticed at some point that, ‘Hang on a minute, why have the autism rates in Somali kids gone from one in a hundred to like one in three or whatever it was?’» he said. «There should have been some oversight, and there again you get into the whole American racial guilt, which is a particular issue that we have, where if you’re an unscrupulous scammer, you can always play the race card, and that will often get you away with it because people are terrified.»
«Nobody likes to be called a racist. It’s about one of the worst things you could be called,» he went on. «But I do think liberal Americans, in particular white liberal Americans, are more afraid of that label than anything else. So, some of these scammers, they threatened to make a fuss about being targeted on account of race or immigrant status or religion. And that probably contributed to state authorities being a little slower.»
ILHAN OMAR SAYS SHE’S FRUSTRATED SINCE SOMALIS ARE ALSO VICTIMS IN ‘FEEDING OUR FUTURE’ SCAM
Somali illegal alien Abdul Dahir Ibrahim, who was convicted of fraud, has been photographed with Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., (left) and Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (right). (ICE)
This dynamic has also played out on the national level. Following the Trump administration’s announcement of its crackdown on illegal immigrant Somalis in Minnesota, Democratic Gov. Tim Walz has accused it of «demonizing an entire group of people just by their race and their ethnicity.»
«I can’t take Tim Walz seriously, honestly, because he was the governor who was in charge while all this was happening. Where was he?» said Hankinson. «He was asleep at the switch.»
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«It’s not a question of scapegoating,» he said. «It’s a good thing to send a message, not to the Somali community per se, but to all of Minnesota and the rest of the 49 states that this is America, we have laws, we have rules. When you break those rules, you are going to get punished.»
Hankinson added that ultimately, he hopes to see many Somalis joining in the effort to crack down on the minority involved in fraud so that they can «give their community the reputation that it deserves.»
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Un pequeño cambio en el ADN puede cambiar el destino de la sangre. Investigadores de los Estados Unidos y Europa identificaron una variante genética hereditaria que protege contra la leucemia y otros cánceres hematológicos, un hallazgo que abre nuevas posibilidades para prevenir enfermedades graves.
El descubrimiento sugiere que algunas personas tienen una defensa genética natural.
Los científicos comprobaron que este cambio genético limita la multiplicación de clones celulares peligrosos y reduce el riesgo de cáncer de sangre. Replicar este mecanismo podría transformar los tratamientos médicos en el futuro.
El estudio fue dirigido por Gaurav Agarwal y reunió datos de más de 640.000 personas en Estados Unidos y Europa. Fue publicado en la revista Science.
Los investigadores pertenecen a instituciones como el Hospital Infantil de Boston, la Facultad de Medicina de Harvard, el Instituto del Cáncer Dana-Farber, el Instituto Médico Howard Hughes, el Broad Institute del MIT y Harvard, el Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, y el Instituto Nacional del Cáncer de los Estados Unidos. También colaboraron expertos de la Universidad Newcastle del Reino Unido.
El equipo de investigadores se preguntó por qué algunas personas desarrollan cáncer de sangre y otras no, aunque acumulen mutaciones similares en las células madre.
El proceso de clonación hematopoyética permite que ciertos clones de células madre tomen ventaja y se multipliquen, lo que eleva el riesgo de leucemia y enfermedades crónicas.
Con el paso de los años, las mutaciones se acumulan, pero no siempre causan enfermedad. Algunos clones mutados permanecen bajo control o retroceden.
El objetivo fue identificar factores genéticos capaces de frenar la expansión de estos clones y proteger a las personas de desarrollar cáncer.
Los científicos se enfocaron en variantes hereditarias presentes en el ADN y analizaron el genoma completo de cientos de miles de personas.
El reto fue distinguir qué cambios genéticos influyen realmente en el riesgo de cáncer de sangre y cuáles no tienen impacto clínico.
El análisis priorizó las variantes no codificantes, que no modifican la estructura de las proteínas pero pueden regular la actividad de genes clave en las células madre de la sangre.
El equipo del doctor Agarwal identificó la variante «rs17834140-T», que se comporta como una defensa genética ante la clonación hematopoyética y el desarrollo de cánceres sanguíneos.
Esta mutación disminuye el riesgo de padecer CHIP (que es la sigla en inglés de “Hematopoyesis clonal de Potencial Indeterminado), un proceso que predispone a la leucemia.
La variante rs17834140-T reduce la expresión del gen musashi 2 (MSI2), esencial para las células madre sanguíneas. Al bajar la actividad de este gen, la red de apoyo a los clones mutados pierde fuerza y su expansión se debilita.
Los investigadores demostraron en el laboratorio que la mutación interrumpe el sitio de unión del factor GATA-2 en el ADN. Esta interferencia limita la producción de MSI2 y restringe el crecimiento de los clones peligrosos.
La red genética suprimida por la variante se activa en las células madre con mutaciones de alto riesgo y en niños con leucemia mieloide aguda. En estos casos, la actividad de la red se relaciona con una menor supervivencia.
Los investigadores sostuvieron que “el efecto protector de la variante se vincula a un solo cambio en el ADN que debilita la actividad del gen MSI2”.
El mapa genético elaborado por los científicos muestra cómo MSI2 influye en el destino de las células madre y en el dominio clonal de mutaciones asociadas a cáncer.
Los datos sugieren que bloquear MSI2 podría convertirse en una vía para prevenir nuevos casos de cáncer de sangre.
El avance resalta la importancia de compartir datos genéticos para impulsar la investigación médica.
Vijay Sankaran, coautor e investigador en la Universidad de Harvard, afirmó que “la integridad científica mejoró sustancialmente gracias a la difusión y el acceso público” a los datos de secuenciación y estudios GWAS.
Los científicos alertaron sobre la necesidad de validar estos resultados en poblaciones más diversas y continuar el seguimiento en estudios clínicos de largo plazo. El descubrimiento allana el camino para desarrollar medicamentos que imiten el efecto protector de la variante genética.
Los investigadores resaltaron que la mutación “ilumina la regulación post-transcripcional de las células madre humanas y sugiere la inhibición de MSI2 o sus objetivos para la prevención del cáncer de sangre”.
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One of President Donald Trump’s most controversial moves in 2025 was his deployment of the National Guard to several major U.S. cities to provide security for federal buildings, public places and around law enforcement operations, including deportation operations.
While popular in some areas, Trump’s deployments were met with fierce resistance in some cities, especially in jurisdictions with «sanctuary» laws shielding immigrants from federal authorities. In some particularly controversial instances, the president went around Democratic governors by federalizing the National Guard or deploying troops from friendly states to blue cities.
In 2025, Trump deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, the Chicago area, Memphis and New Orleans.
Here are the cities where residents may see National Guard troops on their streets in 2026.
WHERE THE TRUMP ADMIN’S COURT FIGHT OVER DC NATIONAL GUARD STANDS IN WAKE OF SHOOTING
National Guard members patrol the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 30, 2025. (Andrew Leyden/Getty)
Chicago
Despite a setback in the form of a Christmas week Supreme Court ruling denying a request to proceed with immediately deploying the National Guard to Chicago, the White House told Fox News Digital that the Trump administration plans to keep working «day in and day out to safeguard the American public.»
«The President promised the American people he would work tirelessly to enforce our immigration laws and protect federal personnel from violent rioters. He activated the National Guard to protect federal law enforcement officers and to ensure rioters did not destroy federal buildings and property,» White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement. «Nothing in today’s ruling detracts from that core agenda.»
With that being said, the Trump administration is likely to continue pushing for National Guard troops to be allowed into Chicago and the legal case is still ongoing.
St. Louis
While announcing a National Guard deployment to Memphis on Sept. 15, Trump hinted at sending troops to the Gateway City, saying, «We have to save St. Louis.»
While speaking with reporters in the Oval Office about the Memphis deployment, Trump said, «We’ll get to St. Louis also.»
The president grouped St. Louis in with Memphis and Chicago as a city suffering from high violent crime and strained local law enforcement, needing federal assistance to restore order.
According to the FBI’s most recent annual crime report, compiled for cities with 50,000+ residents and released in August, St. Louis ranks among the highest in violent crime rates nationally.
TRUMP CALLS CHICAGO ‘OUT OF CONTROL’ AFTER TRAIN ATTACK LEFT WOMAN CRITICALLY BURNED
National Guard are seen after reports of two National Guard soldiers shot near the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo)
New York
While announcing his temporary federal takeover of D.C. in August, Trump suggested he may also intervene in New York, saying, «We have other cities that are very bad. New York has a problem.»
Trump also said, «I’m going to look at New York in a little while.»
At the same time, Trump voiced, «I hope they do a self-clean-up.» He expressed, however, that the rise to power of socialist now Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani may necessitate a deployment to «straighten out the city.»
The president has since met with Mamdani in the Oval Office, in a highly publicized meeting in which the two appeared to have worked through their differences. Trump predicted that Mamdani would be a «great mayor.»
«We have one thing in common,» said Trump. «We want this city of ours that we love to do very well.»
Despite this, the possibility of a National Guard deployment to New York remains should the city begin to spiral out of control under Mamdani’s leadership.
PAM BONDI SAYS TRUMP ‘ABSOLUTELY’ HAS AUTHORITY TO INVOKE INSURRECTION ACT TO CURB CHICAGO CRIME
President Donald Trump met with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani for the first time in the Oval Office in November. (Jim Watson / AFP via Getty Images)
Baltimore
Trump also said that he would send the National Guard to Baltimore to «quickly clean up the crime» if Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore were to say he needs help.
Moore had earlier invited Trump to attend a public safety walk in the crime-ridden city in September, saying in an Aug. 21 letter that the event would provide an opportunity to «discuss strategies for effective public safety policy.»
«As President, I would much prefer that he clean up this crime disaster before I go there for a walk,» Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
He accused Moore of having a poor record on crime, «unless he fudges his figures on crime like many of the other Blue States are doing.»
Trump added that he did not appreciate the tone of Moore’s invitation.
«But if Wes Moore needs help, like Gavin Newscum did in L.A., I will send in the «troops,» which is being done in nearby DC, and quickly clean up the crime,» Trump wrote. He added that Baltimore ranks among the worst cities in the United States for crime and murder.
THE ICIEST MOMENTS OF 2025: THE 5 POLITICAL FEUDS THAT FROZE WASHINGTON
California National Guard members stand in formation during the protest in Los Angeles, California on June 14, 2025. (David Pashaee/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
California cities
Led by Democratic, pro-sanctuary politicians, America’s most populous state has stood firmly opposed to much of the Trump administration’s actions. California Gov. Gavin Newsom was a fierce critic of Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles over the summer despite ongoing unrest and anti-ICE riots in the city.
Despite the pushback, Trump has signaled his willingness to send the National Guard back to Los Angeles as well as to Oakland and San Francisco.
«We have other cities also that are bad. Very bad,» said the president. «You look at Los Angeles, how bad it is.»
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Addressing crime, Trump has said, «Then you have, of course, Baltimore and Oakland. We don’t even mention that anymore. They are so far gone. We are not going to let that happen. We are not going to lose our cities over this.»
Trump also said, «Look at what the Democrats have done to San Francisco. They’ve destroyed it. We can clean that up, too, we’ll clean that one up, too.»
Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias contributed to this report.
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