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EXCLUSIVE: Senate bill targets Minnesota-style ‘runaway fraud’ to force scammers repay taxpayers
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EXCLUSIVE: Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst is introducing legislation Thursday targeting fraud in federal programs — a proposal that would set early-warning tripwires to flag suspected scams and push agencies to claw back taxpayer dollars, Fox News Digital has learned.
«It’s absolutely unacceptable that the fraud running rampant in Minnesota could end up costing taxpayers more than $9 billion,» Ernst told Fox News Digital. «My Putting an N to Learing about Fraud Act will ensure this never happens again by putting more safeguards in place to detect scams early and require the recovery of any money ripped off from taxpayers.»
Ernst’s office said the bill is designed to hit fraud on two fronts: tightening rules around child care payments and creating new spike alerts in health care programs to flag suspicious surges early, while also pushing the federal government to recover improper payments.
If passed, the bill would force state plans tied to federal child care dollars to pay providers based on documented attendance — not just enrollment — to prevent taxpayer money from going out for care that never happened.
MINNESOTA FRAUD CASE IS ‘CANARY IN THE COAL MINE’ FOR GOVERNMENT SYSTEMS — INCLUDING ELECTIONS, LAWYER WARS
Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst is introducing legislation that would flag potential fraud and push agencies to claw back swindled taxpayer funds. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
It also underlines that states can reimburse providers after services are delivered rather than paying upfront. Providers taking federal funds would have to track attendance and keep those records for seven years, making them available for audits by the Department of Health and Human Services, the attorney general and the comptroller general.
On the healthcare front, the legislation would create new notification requirements tied to abrupt jumps in health billings and costs. States would be required to notify the Department of Health and Human Services when the amount being paid for a service increases by more than 100% in a year, or if the number of providers seeking payment increases by 100% in a year.
GOP SENATORS LAUNCH TASK FORCE TO CRACK DOWN ON FRAUD TIED TO MINNESOTA SCANDAL
Beyond early detection, the bill aims to force agencies to claw back funds either swindled from taxpayers or received in error.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speaks at a town hall meeting at the DeYor Performing Arts Center on April 7, 2025 in Youngstown, Ohio. A crowd of 2600 filled the venue to ask questions and listen to ideas from Governor Walz. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)
It would direct the Office of Management and Budget to issue guidance to federal agencies to ensure improper payments are recovered and require inspectors general to report annually the amount of improper payments recovered by each agency.
MINNESOTA FRAUD WHISTLEBLOWER SAYS ‘LACK OF GUARDRAILS WAS PRETTY SHOCKING’
The legislation follows the sweeping fraud scandal that continues to plague Minnesota. Dozens of arrests have been made, most of whom are from the state’s large Somali population, as investigators uncover hundreds of millions of dollars in fraud swindled from taxpayers through welfare and social services programs. Federal prosecutors have said the fraud could total $9 billion.
«The swindlers in Minnesota and everywhere else soon are going to ‘lear’ the hard way that in the era of DOGE, crime no longer pays,» Ernst added in a comment to Fox Digital, referring to the viral «Quality Learing Center.»
Quality Learning Center in Minnesota was found at the center of an alleged childcare fraud scandal in the state. (Madelin Fuerste / Fox News Channel)
Fox News Digital learned that Ernst will also name Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as the January recipient of her office’s «Squeal Award» for «failing to stop the runaway fraud in his own backyard.» Ernst awards various lawmakers and government fraud scandals themselves the Squeal Award each month to spotlight «out of control waste.»
The governor dropped out of his re-election effort earlier in January amid the fallout of the fraud scandal. Walz, who has served as governor since 2019, took ownership of the fraud as it occurred under his watch, but argued multibillion-dollar figures were «sensationalized» by Republicans.
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Ernst has long positioned herself as a leading Senate watchdog on waste and fraud, working with both Congress and the Trump administration to flag questionable spending.
She launched and leads the Senate DOGE caucus as President Donald Trump readied to reclaim the Oval Office, which works to snuff out government spending, reduce bureaucracy, and enforce transparency, producing more than $15.1 billion in real savings.
minnesota fraud exposed,doge,tim walz,senate
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ICE arrests convicted pedophiles, violent assailants as Trump meets with Angel Families
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FIRST ON FOX: After President Donald Trump and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem met Monday with Angel Families impacted by crimes committed by illegal immigrants, the agency announced it had arrested additional illegal immigrants convicted of sexual assault and violent crimes.
Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital that «while Americans were enjoying their weekends, the heroic men and women of ICE were working around the clock to get the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens out of our country, including pedophiles, rapists and violent assailants.»
Bis said that while «sanctuary politicians and the media ignore the victims of criminal illegal immigrant crime. Today, President Trump and Secretary Noem met with Angel families and victims at the White House,» adding that «these victims and their families are why we continue to fight for the arrest and removal of illegal aliens from our communities.»
Among those arrested by ICE this weekend was Gerardo Moran-Cisneros, from Mexico, who was convicted of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years old in Los Angeles. Also in Los Angeles, ICE arrested Jathniel Rei Tangkilisan, from Indonesia, convicted of domestic battery in Hollywood.
The mother of Laken Riley, Allyson Phillips, joins President Donald Trump during an Angel Families remembrance ceremony held in the East Room at the White House February 23, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
In the Los Angeles suburbs, ICE arrested Hoang Dung Duong, from Vietnam, who was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon in Santa Ana, California.
Across the country in New York City, ICE arrested Pedro Pichasaca-Dutan, from Ecuador, who was convicted of rape. In nearby Somerset County, New Jersey, ICE arrested Mexican national Victor Ortiz-Ramos, who was convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a victim less than 13 years old.
Also in New Jersey, which is a sanctuary state, ICE arrested Carlos Aparicio-Zarate, also from Mexico, who was convicted of aggravated assault — serious bodily injury in Asbury Park.
In the Chicago suburb of Wheaton, Illinois, Martin Villanueva-Arenas, another Mexican illegal, was arrested by ICE following his conviction for aggravated criminal sexual assault of a child, leaving the scene of an accident and resisting a peace officer.
In Chicago proper, ICE arrested Jose Parada-Valdivia, from Mexico, who is convicted of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Meanwhile, ICE also arrested Mexican national Juan Ortiz-Pozos, who is convicted of aggravated vehicular hijacking and aggravated battery on a peace officer in Chicago’s Cook County.
TRUMP’S ‘TOTAL ELIMINATION’ STRATEGY PAVED WAY FOR FALL OF CARTEL KINGPIN ‘EL MENCHO’
Left to right, from top: Gerardo Moran-Cisneros, Jathniel Rei Tangkilisan, Hoang Dung Duong, Pedro Pichasaca-Dutan, Victor Ortiz-Ramos, Carlos Aparicio-Zarate, Martin Villanueva-Arenas, Jose Parada-Valdivia, Juan Ortiz-Pozos, Javid Finton McLawrence. (Alex Brandon/AP; DHS)
In Houston, ICE arrested Javid Finton McLawrence, from Grenada, who was convicted of indecent assault. In the Dallas-area Tarrant County, ICE apprehended Jeremias Hernandez-Fernandez, from Mexico, who was convicted of indecency with a child.
Over the weekend, ICE also arrested Mexican nationals Juan Vasquez-Perez, convicted of third-degree sex abuse in Johnson County, Iowa, and Esteban De Paz Jimenez, convicted of assault and battery on a family member, aggravated robbery and preventing summons of law enforcement in Caroline County, Virginia. The agency also arrested Claudy Ngoy, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill in Wake County, North Carolina.
On Sunday, Trump signed a declaration proclaiming Feb. 22 «National Angel Family Day» in honor of the «thousands of American lives stolen from us by criminal illegal aliens and the deadly drugs they bring across our borders.»
In the declaration, Trump reaffirmed his commitment to combatting illegal immigrant crime, writing, «We stand with the Angel Families, many of whom continue to be left without justice» and «we recommit to carrying out the largest mass-deportation effort in our Nation’s history, getting the worst of the worst out of our country, and putting a stop to the violence targeting the brave men and women of law enforcement.»
TRUMP HALTS ANGEL FAMILIES SPEECH TO CHECK ON WOMAN IN AUDIENCE
U.S. President Donald Trump holds up a proclamation dedicating February 22nd as Angel Family Day during a remembrance ceremony held in the East Room at the White House February 23, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Among those present for the Angel Family event were Allyson Phillips, mother of slain Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, Alexis Nungaray, mother of slain Houston teen Jocelyn Nungaray, and the family of Rachel Morin, a Maryland mother of five who was killed by an illegal alien.
Trump told the families, «For too long, your stories were suppressed so that politicians could open our borders. But today, the world hears you.»
«We are not just mitigating the threat anymore; we are eliminating it,» he went on, adding, «The justice delivered in Tapalpa this weekend is just the beginning for every family in this room.»
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Several of the Angel Families spoke during the event as well, with Phillips telling Trump, «You are a man of your word, Mr. President.»
«My daughter Laken didn’t die in vain,» said Phillips. «Because of the Laken Riley Act and the work you’re doing to clear out these monsters, other mothers won’t have to live my nightmare.»
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immigration,illegal immigrants,migrant crime,donald trump,kristi noem,enforcement,homeland security
INTERNACIONAL
La clave para ubicar a «El Mencho»: una pareja sentimental que lo visitó y se fue un día antes del operativo
El secretario de Defensa Nacional de México, Ricardo Trevilla, brindó este lunes nuevos detalles sobre el operativo federal desarrollado en la localidad de Tapalpa, Jalisco, que este domingo mató a Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, «El Mencho», el líder del Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) y considerado por Estados Unidos el mayor traficante de cocaína, heroína y metanfetamina en México. Según indicó, una pareja sentimental del jefe narco habría sido clave para encontrarlo.
Los detalles que ya habían trascendido de la operación contaban que «El Mencho» transcurrió sus últimos días alejado de las grandes riquezas que había forjado durante su imperio criminal, viajando disfrazado de un refugio a otro, yendo de choza en choza y caminando por veredas con mosquitos.
Además, tenía su salud deteriorada producto los problemas de riñón e hígado que le dejaron las múltiples cirugías clandestinas a las que se sometió a lo largo de su vida y acechado por la certeza de que cada movimiento que hacía era monitoreado por agencias de seguridad de Estados Unidos. Y no se equivocaba.
Este lunes, el secretario de Defensa Nacional mexicano informó que el poderoso capo narco por el que Estados Unidos ofrecía una recompensa de 15 millones de dólares fue ubicado el viernes pasado tras meses de seguimiento. La clave para encontrarlo habría sido una pareja sentimental.
Según indicó Trevilla, en el marco de un trabajo de inteligencia conjunto entre agencias mexicanas y estadounidenses, que permitió vigilar la red de contactos del jefe del CJNG, se logró ubicar «a un hombre de confianza de una de las parejas sentimentales del ‘Mencho’», quien habría trasladado a la mujer a la instalación del poblado de Tapalpa en la que el capo narco finalmente fue ubicado. Sin embargo, no brindó mayores detalles acerca de la identidad de la visitante del jefe narco.
El funcionario indicó además que la mujer abandonó el complejo apenas un día antes del operativo. «El Mencho», en tanto, se quedó en el lugar junto a su equipo de seguridad. Fue ese el momento en que las fuerzas de seguridad decidieron ejecutar la operación militar para capturarlo.
Trevilla explicó también que las fuerzas especiales del Ejército lograron cercar al narcotraficante, pero que en el lugar fueron recibidos a tiros por pistoleros a cargo de la seguridad de «El Mencho».
El lugar en el que se encontraba el peligroso narco está ubicado en las cercanías de la Laguna de Sayula, un cuerpo de agua protegido por montañas que se elevan hasta 1.350 metros sobre el nivel del mar. Las alturas y precipicios, pensaron sus escoltas, harían imposible un operativo para detenerlo. Sin embargo, no fue así.
Los disparos de los guardias del líder del CJNG fueron repelidos por las fuerzas mexicanas, en un enfrentamiento que dejó a ocho presuntos integrantes del grupo criminal muertos y tres militares heridos.
Después del primer intercambio de disparos, «El Mencho» y su círculo de seguridad huyeron hasta una zona boscosa y se escondieron entre la maleza. Pero los militares lograron ubicarlos y establecer un cerco para que no pudiesen salir. A pesar de que al verse acorralados volvieron a a abrir fuego contra el personal de la Guardia Nacional y de las Fuerzas Armadas, tras un fuerte cruce de disparos, los militares hiriendo al capo narco, quien murió a bordo del avión en el que posteriormente fue trasladado para ser atendido.
El operativo, liderado por el Ejército mexicano, con participación de la Guardia Nacional y fuerzas especiales, contó con apoyo aéreo de seis helicópteros y varios aviones con el objetivo de «obtener la sorpresa y tener la iniciativa», aunque no dio detalles del número exacto de militares desplegados en el operativo. Además, contaron con información proporcionada por EE.UU.
En el lugar, las fuerzas de seguridad mexicanas incautaron numerosas armas, entre ellas lanzacohetes RPG de diseño ruso, el mismo modelo que se usó en 2015 para derribar un helicóptero en un evento en el que murieron siete militares mexicanos.
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Cruz warned Mexico officials ‘President Trump was going to’ act if they didn’t fight cartels
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The killing of drug lord Nemesio «El Mencho» Oseguera Cervantes may look like a decisive victory in the war on drugs. But in Washington and Mexico City, it is also being viewed as something more strategic: a visible response to mounting U.S. pressure that has reshaped Mexico’s approach to the cartels.
The operation, carried out by Mexican forces with U.S. intelligence support, underscores deepening coordination between the two governments as fentanyl trafficking remains a central political and security issue in the United States.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas., told Fox News Digital he had personally warned Mexican officials last year that Washington expected stronger action. «In August of last year, I went down to Mexico. I took a trip to El Salvador, Panama and Mexico, and I met with senior officials in the Mexican government. The message I conveyed to them was that they needed to get serious about fighting the cartels to stop the drug trafficking into America and to stop the human trafficking into America. I told them that if they didn’t get serious, President Trump was going to.»
«This was before the Maduro raid,» Cruz added, «But the raid was not a surprise — it was clear the president was going to do what was necessary to keep America safe. I will say that Mexico has pivoted sharply, and this is a real manifestation of that. Thousands of Americans are alive today because Trump was re-elected and Republicans were put in charge of Congress. If we had kept the Democrats’ open-border policies in place, there would be thousands more Americans dead from murder, other violent crime and drug overdoses.»
A soldier stands guard by a charred vehicle after it was set on fire in Cointzio, Mexico, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, after the death of «El Mencho.» (AP Photo/Armando Solis)
Melissa Ford Maldonado, director of Western Hemisphere at the America First Policy Institute, told Fox News Digital the strike reflects a broader shift in incentives driven by Washington.
«U.S. pressure has absolutely shaped Mexico’s actions. Pressure is the only thing that compels the Mexican state to act,» Ford Maldonado said. «The Trump administration has been explicit in linking trade leverage and even the possibility of unilateral action to Mexico’s performance against the cartels, which has completely changed the incentive structure in Mexico City. When Washington demands visible results, Mexico is under pressure to produce something visible.»
She said the killing itself fits that dynamic. «The killing of El Mencho is an attempt to do that,» she said. «El Mencho was one of the most wanted men in the hemisphere, and Jalisco New Generation cartel is among the most violent and militarized cartels in Mexico. His death gives the Mexican government something concrete to point to — a high-value target — and claim they’re delivering. But these are only tactical wins, designed to relieve immediate pressure from Washington.»
DEATH TOLL RISES AFTER MEXICAN DRUG CARTEL LEADER KILLED IN US-BACKED OPERATION
A worker sorts freshly printed copies of the newspaper PM bearing the headline «U.S. mapped ‘El Mencho’ and Mexico delivered the final blow, Caught between two fires,» following the killing of the drug lord on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters)
Ford Maldonado cautioned that high-profile takedowns have historically failed to produce lasting stability.
«The problem is that tactical wins are not the same thing as strategic change. Tactical wins aren’t enough anymore. If they were, the long list of past arrests and extraditions would have solved this already. I believe Washington is looking for something deeper now: the disruption of the ecosystem that allows cartel power to thrive. Mexico has a problem with corruption, territorial control and political protection, and they must address the political and financial networks that keep the cartels in power.»
Smoke billows from burning vehicles amid a wave of violence following a military operation in which «El Mencho,» was killed, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Feb. 22, 2026. (Screen grab obtained from a social media video. @morelifediares via Instagram/Youtube/via Reuters)
She also pointed to internal Mexican political dynamics that may complicate the narrative.
In June 2020, Omar García Harfuch, then Mexico City’s chief of police, survived an assassination attempt widely attributed to El Mencho. García Harfuch is now Mexico’s secretary of security and citizen protection and oversaw the operation that killed the cartel leader.
«Therefore, there may be other motives involved,» Ford Maldonado said. «Jalisco New Generation cartel has been in a long-standing and very bloody rivalry with the Sinaloa cartel, which some say is the traditional cartel partner of the Morena regime. So, if the Mexican government goes after the rivals of a cartel it’s long been accused of tolerating or working alongside, that alone doesn’t prove it has truly broken with cartel-state collusion.»
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A wave of violence took place after the death of «El Mencho,» in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, Feb. 22, 2026. (Screen grab obtained from a social media video. @morelifediares via Instagram/Youtube/via Reuters )
For now, she said, the killing is significant but not definitive.
«Unfortunately, history has shown that killing a cartel leader rarely produces lasting stability. It disrupts command and control temporarily,» she said. «Whether this is a real turning point depends on what comes next, specifically, whether enforcement moves beyond high-profile cartel leaders and begins to confront the political and financial networks that sustain them. Until then, this is significant, but it’s not transformative.»
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location mexico,mexican cartel violence,donald trump,ted cruz,crime world,drugs
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