Federal agent surge expected in MN for crackdown on immigration, fraud
ICE agent surge reportedly headed to MN
A surge in increased immigration enforcement agents could be making its way to Minnesota as part of the Trump administration’s increased efforts to crackdown on illegal immigration. FOX 9’s Maury Glover has the latest.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Federal agents reportedly started arriving in Minnesota on Sunday in the first major target of President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement efforts in the new year.
New year crackdown
What we know:
Since early last month, federal ICE agents have been in the Twin Cities to crack down on immigrants who are in the country illegally.
Now a new wave of federal agents will expand on that work and root out fraud.
According to reports, the White House has already started sending an additional 1,500 ICE agents to the Twin Cities to track down people who have deportation orders.
On top of that, 600 agents from Homeland Security Investigations will focus on identifying fraud in the Somali community.
Viral video aftermath
The backstory:
The 30-day surge operation comes after a viral video from YouTube influencer Nick Shirley claimed Somali run child care centers were receiving federal subsidies, but no children were present.
Minnesota child care federal audit
A recent federal audit uncovered deficiencies in Minnesota's child care assistance program related to attendance tracking – estimating that 11% of all payments likely had some flaw, potentially impacting $231.4 million in child care claims across more than 1,150 providers. FOX 9’s Paul Blume has the details.
The Minnesota Department Of Children, Youth and Families said it conducted compliance checks at nine of the 10 facilities featured in the video. One facility closed in 2022.
Investigators said children were present at all the sites except one that was not open for the day for families when inspectors arrived.
Border patrol
What they're saying:
U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, who has led immigration roundups in other cities around the country, is expected to arrive in Minnesota to help with the surge here along with a number of border patrol agents.