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Minnesota fraud scandal intensifies debate over stripping citizenship
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A massive fraud scandal tied to taxpayer-funded daycare, Medicaid and social services programs in Minnesota — involving potentially billions of dollars in suspicious billing — is prompting renewed scrutiny of whether some naturalized Americans obtained U.S. citizenship under false pretenses and whether denaturalization could now be used more aggressively.
The fallout has already led the Department of Health and Human Services to freeze certain childcare payments to Minnesota, citing alleged fraud involving daycare providers throughout the past decade.
Immigration authorities have confirmed they are reviewing whether fraud uncovered in Minnesota could provide the legal basis to revoke U.S. citizenship from naturalized individuals who concealed or misrepresented material facts during the immigration process.
Denaturalization is legally constrained, requires individualized civil court proceedings and historically has been used sparingly.
KAROLINE LEAVITT WARNS ‘PEOPLE WILL BE IN HANDCUFFS’ AS FEDS ZERO IN ON MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL
Attorney David Schoen said it remains legally viable but under extraordinary circumstances.
He said on Fox News the process would likely trigger «significant» court challenges but «it is legally possible. In an extraordinary circumstance, we’d have to know the facts.»
Quality Learning Center in Minnesota was found at the center of an alleged childcare fraud scandal in the state. (Madelin Fuerste / Fox News Channel)
Schoen emphasized that immigration law already provides clearer mechanisms for removing noncitizens, particularly lawful permanent residents who violate the law, describing denaturalization as a far more extraordinary step requiring fact-specific scrutiny.
COMER SUMMONS MINNESOTA OFFICIALS AS HOUSE PROBES MASSIVE SOCIAL SERVICES FRAUD
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on «Fox & Friends» that the administration is «not afraid to use denaturalization,» and confirmed that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the State Department are «looking at» whether citizenship could be revoked in connection with those of Somali origin in the Minnesota fraud probe.
DHS confirmed it is actively reviewing immigration and naturalization cases involving migrants from 19 countries of concern, including Somalia, to determine whether any individuals obtained U.S. citizenship through fraud that could warrant denaturalization.
«Under U.S. law, if an individual procures citizenship on a fraudulent basis, that is grounds for denaturalization,» DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to Fox News.
The review focuses on whether fraud occurred during the immigration or naturalization process, including false statements or marriage fraud used to obtain legal status or citizenship. DHS stressed that denaturalization is governed by strict legal standards and applies only under limited circumstances.
President Donald Trump weighed in on the Minnesota investigations Wednesday, sharply criticizing the state’s handling of fraud and linking the scandal to illegal immigration in a Truth Social post.
«Much of the Minnesota Fraud, up to 90%, is caused by people that came into our Country, illegally, from Somalia,» Trump wrote.
«Lowlifes like this can only be a liability to our Country’s greatness,» he added. «Send them back from where they came, Somalia, perhaps the worst, and most corrupt, country on earth.»
Federal prosecutors say their investigation has expanded to suspicious billing across 14 Medicaid-funded programs, where providers billed about $18 billion since 2018. A preliminary assessment cited by prosecutors suggests «half or more» of that amount could be fraudulent.
The widened probe builds on yearslong scrutiny of Minnesota following some of the largest benefit-fraud cases ever prosecuted in the state, including a pandemic-era food aid scheme involving roughly $250 million in alleged losses. Federal officials say those cases exposed systemic weaknesses in oversight that may extend across multiple aid programs.
Quality Learning Center manager Ibrahim Ali denied any fraud took place, despite a recent report by independent journalist Nick Shirley. (Pool)
HHS CUTS OFF MINNESOTA CHILD CARE PAYMENTS OVER ALLEGED DAYCARE FRAUD SCHEME
Minnesota is home to one of the largest Somali communities in the country. Census Bureau–based estimates suggest roughly 260,000 people of Somali descent live in the U.S. and close to 100,000 are in Minnesota.
Republican lawmakers argue that fraud on such a scale raises broader questions about whether individuals involved were truthful throughout the immigration process — and whether citizenship should shield offenders who obtained it through deception.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., called for the deportation of all Somali immigrants involved in fraud cases in Minnesota.
SENATE PRESSURE MOUNTS AS MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL CONTINUES TO UNFOLD
«I have three words regarding Somalis who have committed fraud against American taxpayers: Send them home. If they’re here illegally, deport them immediately; if they’re naturalized citizens, revoke their citizenship and deport them quickly thereafter. If we need to change the law to do that, I will,» he wrote on X.
The renewed focus on denaturalization also aligns with broader efforts inside the Trump administration to tighten the naturalization process itself.
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow has previously criticized the current citizenship test as «too soft,» calling for deeper civics knowledge and more rigorous English evaluation throughout the naturalization interview.
Historically, the federal government has pursued only a small number of denaturalization cases each year. Civil liberties groups warn that expanding its use could raise due-process concerns, teeing up a potential legal battle.
minnesota fraud exposed,immigration,somali immigrant community,state department
INTERNACIONAL
Transición en Venezuela: Delcy Rodríguez eliminó por decreto programas sociales y entes emblemáticos del entramado chavista
La sucesora del dictador narco Nicolás Maduro, Delcy Rodríguez, eliminó siete organismos del entramado construido por el chavismo durante más de dos décadas, incluyendo programas sociales, fundaciones y un organismo de coordinación de inteligencia y seguridad del Estado.
La decisión quedó establecida en el Decreto N.º 5.248, que ordena la supresión y liquidación de entes adscritos al Ministerio del Poder Popular para el Despacho de la Presidencia y Seguimiento de la Gestión de Gobierno.
Entre las entidades eliminadas destacan:
- Centro Estratégico de Seguridad y Protección de la Patria (Cesppa): fue creado en 2013 y centralizaba la coordinación de información sobre seguridad, defensa, inteligencia, orden interno y relaciones exteriores. Su función era “unificar el flujo informativo sobre los aspectos estratégicos sensibles” del Estado.
- Fundación Propatria 2000: se encargaba de la ejecución de obras de infraestructura, rehabilitación de espacios públicos y proyectos especiales. Es la entidad suprimida con más denuncias de corrupción. Entre 2013 y 2015, el proyecto “Gimnasios Verticales” fue señalado por adjudicar contratos millonarios a empresas sin experiencia y con vínculos irregulares, algunas investigadas por lavado en Colombia y Panamá. Algunas investigaciones revelaron sobreprecios, obras inconclusas y transferencias sospechosas desde el Banco de Venezuela a la fundación. Se estima que parte de los fondos se desviaron a través de contratistas cercanos al régimen.
- Fundación Misión Jóvenes de la Patria “Robert Serra”: impulsaba proyectos de formación, producción y emprendimiento dirigidos a la población juvenil. Su desaparición deja sin soporte institucional a programas de desarrollo de jóvenes gestionados desde el despacho presidencial.
- Oficina Presidencial de Planes y Proyectos Especiales (OPPPE): fue creada en 2011 para coordinar y ejecutar acciones de desarrollo urbanístico, arquitectónico y paisajista. Diversos reportes han denunciado contrataciones directas y sin licitación en proyectos emblemáticos como el mausoleo de Bolívar y otras obras inconclusas o sobrevaloradas. Transparencia Venezuela y otras organizaciones han señalado opacidad en la asignación de contratos y desvío de fondos.
- Fundación José Félix Ribas (Fundaribas): activa desde 1986 en la prevención y tratamiento del consumo de drogas.
- Fundación Movimiento Bolivariano Revolucionario de la Reserva Activa General en Jefe Félix Antonio Velásquez: desde 2016 impulsaba programas de desarrollo socio-productivo en áreas agroalimentarias, farmacéuticas e industriales.
- Misión Socialista Nueva Frontera de Paz: creada en 2015 para la atención de zonas fronterizas y de seguridad.
El decreto ordena el inicio inmediato del proceso de liquidación de estos organismos y la conformación de una junta que supervisará el cierre administrativo, la revisión de bienes y la adecuación institucional.
“Se ordena la supresión y el inicio del proceso de liquidación de los entes adscritos al Ministerio del Poder Popular para el Despacho de la Presidencia y Seguimiento de la Gestión de Gobierno”, indica el texto oficial.
Algunas funciones no desaparecen, sino que serán reasignadas. Por ejemplo, el trabajo de prevención de adicciones de Fundaribas pasará a la Fundación Misión Negra Hipólita. La gestión de la Misión Socialista Nueva Frontera de Paz será responsabilidad de la cancillería. Otros entes, como el Cuerpo Nacional Contra la Corrupción y la Fundación Movimiento por la Paz y la Vida, fueron transferidos al Ministerio de Interior, Justicia y Paz, mientras que la Fundación Radio Miraflores queda bajo el Ministerio de Comunicación e Información.
La lista incluye también el Consejo Nacional para el Desarrollo de las Comunidades Afrodescendientes, ahora bajo el Ministerio de Educación, y el Instituto de Altos Estudios del Pensamiento Hugo Chávez, que pasa al Ministerio de Educación Universitaria.
El documento sostiene que esta reorganización “resulta obligatoria para adecuar la gestión pública a los objetivos actuales”. El proceso entró en vigencia el mismo día de la publicación en la Gaceta Oficial y marca un cambio en la administración de programas sociales, estructuras de seguridad y fundaciones históricas del chavismo.
South America / Central America
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Democratic lawmakers say President Donald Trump’s redistricting gambit is backfiring as Virginia’s Democratic-controlled Senate advanced new congressional maps that could chip away at the House GOP’s majority.
The Virginia Senate voted 21-16 along party lines on Wednesday to pass a set of new congressional maps that would leave just one Republican district in play.
Republicans currently hold five.
To Republicans like Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., that’s too drastic a swing for a state that only has 11 districts to begin with. Even in light of similar redistricting pushes in Texas, California and other states, Wittman believes Virginia’s case is unique.
DOJ URGES SUPREME COURT TO BLOCK CALIFORNIA MAP, CALLS NEWSOM-BACKED PLAN A RACIAL GERRYMANDER
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters and members of the media at Mar-a-Lago on Feb. 1, 2026, in Palm Beach, Fla. (Al Drago/Getty Images)
«This partisan power grab is not reflective of Virginia. Virginia is a 6-5 congressional delegation: six Democrats, five Republicans. And now they want to go to 10 Democrats, one Republican — 92%,» Wittman said.
«They’re going to disenfranchise most Virginians, if not all of them, that are Republican or independent.»
Despite the size of the change the maps would bring, Democrats believe it’s just the latest continuation of a fight that Trump started.
«You have to fight fire with fire,» Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., told Fox News Digital.
«The voters that I’m talking to feel that we can’t just sit back and be victims of redistricting. I don’t think this would be happening unless [Trump] pushed for redistricting in Texas and other red states,» Subramanyam said.
When asked if he thinks the changes would go too far, Subramanyam said he thinks Republicans will have a chance to press their case at the ballot box.
«If Republicans can win over the hearts and minds of Virginians, they will have a good cycle. It’s a very volatile map in that sense, and so I know many have argued that this is actually fair. I would say that it’s certainly a map where, if Republicans campaign well and their message resonates, they can win too,» Subramanyam said.
Since Trump urged lawmakers in Texas to push through a map change in July 2025, state legislatures across the country have explored ways to squeeze out a congressional advantage where control of the House hangs by a two-seat thread.
TEXAS FILES EMERGENCY SUPREME COURT PETITION AFTER TRUMP-BACKED CONGRESSIONAL MAP BLOCKED BY FEDERAL JUDGES
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., speaks during a news conference on Oct. 14, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
Virginia’s map change, on its own, would give Democrats a path to flipping control of the chamber in November.
But the maps aren’t a sure thing. Their implementation turns on pending legal battles about whether the shakeup complies with the state’s constitutional requirements, according to a complaint filed late last year.
On Friday, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the redistricting consideration could continue while it deliberates over a final ruling on whether the maps are permissible.
To become official, maps will also require a statewide constitutional referendum. Under current law, Virginia’s constitution outlaws gerrymandering, the practice of drawing congressional districts to purposefully benefit a political party.
Subramanyam said the referendum gives voters a chance to express their will.
«It will come down to the voters. One good thing in Virginia is that people will have a say and can vote on the referendum in April. Folks in Texas, like where my family still lives, didn’t have a choice,» Subramanyam said, noting that Texas’s redistricting push didn’t require a constitutional amendment and was decided purely by the legislature.
Wittman believes the fact Virginia is looking to upend its own constitution should make the reshuffle a foregone conclusion.
When asked whether he sees Virginia’s redistricting question as a consequence of the redistricting in Texas, Wittman said the two situations differ because of existing state law.
JEFFRIES SAYS GOP ‘DONE EFF’D UP IN TEXAS,’ VOWS THEY WON’T WIN FIVE SEATS: ‘THEY CAN’T IGNORE IT’
Sen. Phil King, R-Texas, displays a map during a Special Committee on Congressional Redistricting public testimony hearing on Aug. 7, 2025, in Austin. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
«Each state has their own constitution as to how they put together their congressional districts. Virginia’s is very clear. A super majority of voters — 66% of the voters — said we want a bipartisan redistricting commission. That’s Virginia,» Wittman said, referring to the 2020 vote in Virginia that outlawed gerrymandering.
«Texas is doing what Texas and its constitution allow,» he added.
Upon teeing up that referendum, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger framed the action as a way to give Virginians a voice in a national debate over congressional redistricting.
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«Virginia voters deserve the opportunity to respond to nationwide attacks on our rights, freedoms and elections… I trust Virginia voters to respond,» Spanberger said in a statement.
Voters in the state will consider whether to «temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections» on April 21.
congress,virginia,democratic party,politics
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Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), commonly known as Doctors Without Borders, suspended non-critical medical operations at Gaza’s Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, citing security concerns.
MSF said it made the decision, as of Jan. 20, due to concerns about the management of the hospital and what it described as a pattern of unacceptable incidents within the compound.
The suspension had not been widely reported at the time, and it was not immediately clear when the decision was first publicly posted.
MSF’s frequently asked questions page, where the update appears, shows it was last revised on Feb. 11.
US-BACKED GAZA AID GROUP SLAMS DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS, ACCUSES IT OF SPREADING ‘FALSE’ CLAIMS
A Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) poster and other informational notices are seen on a door at Nasser Hospital as patients face difficulties accessing care in Khan Yunis, Gaza, on Jan. 15, 2026. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Images)
In recent months, the international medical humanitarian aid group said staff and patients have reported the presence of armed and sometimes masked men, intimidation, arbitrary arrests of patients and the suspected movement of weapons on hospital grounds.
«While none of these incidents occurred in parts of the hospital compound where MSF works, they pose serious security threats to our teams and patients,» MSF wrote on its website.
«MSF formally expressed its strong concern to relevant authorities and emphasized the incompatibility of such violations with our medical mission. Hospitals must remain neutral, civilian spaces, free from military presence or activity, to ensure the safe and impartial delivery of medical care,» the group continued. «MSF calls on all armed groups, Hamas, and Israeli forces to respect medical facilities and ensure the protection of civilians.»
HAMAS PLOTS INFILTRATION AT US-BACKED GAZA AID SITE, FORCES TEMPORARY SHUTDOWN
Palestinian children receive medical treatment at Nasser Hospital amid a rise in influenza and respiratory infections in Khan Yunis, Gaza, on Jan. 14, 2026. (Hani Alshaer/Anadolu via Getty Images)
In a statement issued Saturday, Nasser Hospital rejected what it called «false, unsubstantiated, and misleading allegations» by MSF regarding the presence of weapons or armed groups inside the facility.
«These allegations are factually incorrect, irresponsible, and pose a serious risk to a protected civilian medical facility. The Gaza Strip is under an extreme and prolonged state of emergency resulting from systematic attacks on civilian institutions,» it said. «Under these conditions, isolated unlawful actions by uncontrolled individuals and groups have occurred across society, including attempts by some to carry weapons.»
Hospital officials said a civilian police presence had been arranged to help safeguard patients, staff and infrastructure and called on MSF to retract its claims and reaffirm its commitment to medical neutrality.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Sunday on X that it has intelligence indicating Hamas is using Nasser Hospital as a headquarters and military post, reiterating longstanding allegations that the militant group embeds operations within civilian facilities in Gaza.
Patients are treated in the orthopaedic department of Nasser Hospital as Palestinians wounded in Israeli attacks continue receiving care under limited conditions in Khan Yunis, Gaza, on Jan. 29, 2026. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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«For over two years, the IDF and the defense establishment has warned about the cynical use by terrorist organizations in Gaza of hospitals and humanitarian shelters as human shields to conceal terrorist activity,» it wrote.
Hamas has previously denied using hospitals or other civilian facilities for military purposes.
hamas,israel,middle east,aid
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