Minnesota officials testify at Senate hearing on immigration, law enforcement operations

(FOX 9) - The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held an oversight hearing where Attorney General Keith Ellison and other Minnesota officials testified about fraud, immigration and law enforcement operations.

Minnesota officials, including Rep. Harry Niska, DOC Commissioner Paul Schnell, U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, and Ellison, testified at an oversight hearing to give the state's perspective on the coordination between federal, state and local authorities on immigration enforcement, in addition to the impact of the operations. Several Senators also brought up the issue of fraud in Minnesota.

Find updates on the hearing below.

Sen. Ernst questions Rep. Niska, AG Ellison on fraud

During a Senate oversight hearing, Sen. Joni Ernst focused her questioning on fraud, citing what she described as widespread losses of taxpayer dollars and referencing recent cases in Minnesota. Sen. Ernst reported that "one out of every $10" sent to the federal government is lost to fraud, adding that the issue of fraud is happening in every state, and not just in Minnesota.

Rep. Niska argued that Minnesota officials failed to properly oversee federal funds, particularly in the Feeding Our Future case, and said stronger eligibility checks and transparency measures are needed. Ellison defended his office’s record, saying more than 300 Medicaid fraud cases have resulted in convictions during his tenure. 

Ellison said fraud prevention efforts should not become "a political football" and emphasized that his prosecutorial authority depends on referrals from county attorneys or assignments from the governor.

Sen. Ernst followed up by saying, "What we need is for your governor to step up to the plate and any crime that needs to be prosecuted needs to be done. The American taxpayer is tired of their dollars being funneled out of their pockets into scammers' pockets." 

Ellison responded to the comment, "I think you’re right."

AG Ellison heated exchange over fraud

There was a heated exchange between Sen. Josh Hawley and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison during the oversight hearing. Hawley accused Ellison of helping individuals connected to a fraud scheme and accepting campaign contributions. Hawley was referring to a December 2021 meeting between Ellison and the Feeding Our Future defendant that was recorded and included in the evidence in ringleader Aimee Bock's trial.

"You helped fraudsters defraud your state and this government of $9 billion, and you’ve got a fat campaign contribution out of it. You ought to be indicted. That’s the truth," Hawley said.

Ellison denied the accusations, calling them a lie and described the exchange as "a theatrical performance." The back-and-forth arguments continued, with Hawley at one point telling Ellison he "ought to be in jail." Ellison responded, "Well, we’ll see what you can do about it." 

The exchange ended with both men telling the other they should resign.

Schnell says DHS did not coordinate operations with local law enforcement

Minnesota Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell said federal immigration authorities did not coordinate their enforcement operations with state or local law enforcement in Minnesota.

Responding to questions from Sen. Gary Peters, Schnell said there had not been "efforts to coordinate or discuss" targets and that the state had not been provided with a list of individuals being pursued. Schnell said the lack of coordination contributed to what he described as a public safety challenge, noting that local law enforcement was later called upon to assist ICE during crisis situations.

"If coordination had happened from the get-go, I think a lot of this could have been avoided," said Schnell. 

AG Ellison calls for ICE transparency, joint FBI investigation

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison urged lawmakers to exercise oversight authority over Operation Metro Surge. He asked the committee to require ICE to provide a full accounting of those stopped, detained and deported under the operation in Minnesota, to document detention center conditions and allow broader access to facilities, and to direct the FBI to work with Minnesota to investigate the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, along with other uses of force. He also called for ICE to stop masking, racial profiling and warrantless searches, and urged Congress to pursue comprehensive immigration reform.

Challenging the administration’s stated reasons for the surge, Ellison said, "Every rationale the administration has offered for this surge is really a pretext," arguing that the operation has harmed Minnesota’s economy, schools and legal system. He described the federal action as "retribution," referencing a social media post from former President Donald Trump, and urged lawmakers to act.

When later questioned by Sen. Gary Peters, Ellison said federal authorities have not cooperated with state officials in the investigations into the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

"We haven't had any cooperation up until now, which is really unusual," Ellison said, adding that in prior cases, federal and state authorities typically collaborated and shared evidence. He said Minnesota officials were denied access to evidence and the crime scene and have not received information related to the Good case, adding that federal officials are not investigating the Good case.

When asked whether federal officials were "stonewalling" the state in Good and Pretti's cases, Ellison replied, "Yes, that’s a yes."

Rep. Emmer criticizes Minnesota leaders 

Rep. Tom Emmer testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, criticizing Minnesota Democratic leaders over immigration policies and cooperation with federal law enforcement, saying the "chaos in Minneapolis was entirely preventable."

"The unrest that we all watched unfold in Minneapolis over recent weeks was unnerving. It was heartbreaking. And any loss of life is tragic," said Emmer. "But make no mistake, it was all a direct result of radical sanctuary state and city policies in Minnesota. By preventing local law enforcement from working together with federal law enforcement, they have turned Minnesota into a safe haven for criminal illegal aliens."

He also questioned state leaders’ handling of voter roll data and accused Ellison of "cutting deals with Somali fraudsters for personal, political and financial gain."

Emmer called the situation of how Operation Metro Surge unfolded "entirely preventable" and said Minnesotans deserve accountability from state officials.

Oversight hearing

The backstory:

The hearing, chaired by Sen. Rand Paul, included two panels. The first panel featured Minnesota officials such as Tom Emmer, Majority Whip of the U.S. House of Representatives, Harry Niska, Republican Majority Leader of the Minnesota State House of Representatives, Keith Ellison, Attorney General of Minnesota, and Paul Schnell, Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Corrections.

The second panel included federal witnesses like Joseph Edlow, Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Rodney Scott, Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Todd Lyons, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 

PoliticsMinnesotaTom EmmerKeith Ellison