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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.»
minnesota fraud exposed,migrant crime,immigration,somali immigrant community,minnesota,tim walz
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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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INTERNACIONAL
Donald Trump dio su explicación sobre los moretones en sus manos y reveló detalles sobre su último examen médico
Preguntas sobre la salud del presidente
Un visible moretón en la mano derecha de Donald Trump, en una imagen de agosto. Foto: REUTERS 
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President Donald Trump spent the first year of his second White House term signing a torrent of executive orders aimed at delivering on several major policy priorities, including slashing federal agency budgets and staffing, implementing a hard-line immigration crackdown and invoking emergency authority to impose steep tariffs on nearly every U.S. trading partner.
The pace of Trump’s executive actions has far outstripped that of his predecessors, allowing the administration to move quickly on campaign promises. But the blitz has also triggered a wave of lawsuits seeking to block or pause many of the orders, setting up a high-stakes confrontation over the limits of presidential power under Article II and when courts can — or should — intervene.
Lawsuits have challenged Trump’s most sweeping and consequential executive orders, ranging from a ban on birthright citizenship and transgender service members in the military to the legality of sweeping, DOGE-led government cuts and the president’s ability to «federalize» and deploy thousands of National Guard troops.
FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP’S BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP BAN FOR ALL INFANTS, TESTING LOWER COURT POWERS
Many of those questions remain unresolved. Only a few legal fights tied to Trump’s second-term agenda have reached final resolution, a point legal experts say is critical as the administration presses forward with its broader agenda.
Trump allies have argued the president is merely exercising his powers as commander in chief.
Critics counter that the flurry of early executive actions warrants an additional level of legal scrutiny, and judges have raced to review a crushing wave of cases and lawsuits filed in response.
President Donald Trump speaks to the media after signing an executive order at the White House. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
WINS:
Limits on nationwide injunctions
In June 2025, the Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration 6-3 in Trump v. CASA, a closely watched case centered on the power of district courts to issue so-called universal or nationwide injunctions blocking a president’s executive orders.
Though the case ostensibly focused on birthright citizenship, arguments narrowly focused on the authority of lower courts’ ability to issue nationwide injunctions and did not wade into the legality of Trump’s order, which served as the legal pretext for the case. The decision had sweeping national implications, ultimately affecting the more than 310 federal lawsuits that had been filed at the time challenging Trump’s orders signed in his second presidential term.
Justices on the high court ultimately sided with U.S. Solicitor General John Sauer, who had argued to the court that universal injunctions exceeded lower courts’ Article III powers under the Constitution, telling justices that the injunctions «transgress the traditional bounds of equitable authority,» and «create a host of practical problems.»
The Supreme Court largely agreed. Justices ruled that plaintiffs seeking nationwide relief must file their lawsuits as class action challenges. This prompted a flurry of action from plaintiffs in the weeks and months that followed as they raced to amend and refile relevant complaints to lower courts.
Firing independent agency heads
The Supreme Court also signaled openness to expanding presidential authority over independent agencies.
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