Immigration Enforcement Intensifies in Minnesota, With Focus on Somali Community

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (AX) — The Trump administration is preparing to deploy about 2,000 federal immigration agents to Minnesota, significantly expanding enforcement operations in the state as federal officials renew scrutiny of alleged welfare and child care fraud linked to nonprofits run by members of the Somali community, according to two law enforcement officials familiar with the plans.

The operation, expected to center on the Twin Cities, will include personnel from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Border Patrol, the officials said. Gregory Bovino, a senior U.S. Customs and Border Protection commander who has led high-profile enforcement actions in major cities, is expected to be part of the deployment.

Asked about the plans, Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, confirmed an increased federal presence but declined to provide details. “For the safety of our officers, we do not discuss law enforcement footprint,” McLaughlin said in a statement, adding that DHS had “surged law enforcement” nationwide and made more than 1,000 arrests of people accused of serious crimes, including homicide, sexual offenses and gang activity.

The move marks a sharp escalation of federal activity already underway in Minnesota, following weeks of heightened rhetoric from President Donald Trump and senior administration officials tying fraud investigations to the state’s Somali population. Federal agents have been operating in the region in recent weeks, and officials said the expanded presence is expected to continue as the administration presses ahead with its broader immigration crackdown.

The enforcement surge follows renewed attention to a long-running investigation into alleged fraud involving federal and state child nutrition and child care programs in Minnesota. In 2022, federal prosecutors charged dozens of people in the Feeding Our Future case, accusing a nonprofit of falsely claiming to provide meals to children during the COVID-19 pandemic and misappropriating tens of millions of dollars. Court records show that at least 37 defendants have pleaded guilty. Public filings do not clearly indicate how many of those charged are Somali.

Trump has repeatedly cited the case in public remarks, accusing members of Minnesota’s Somali community of exploiting public funds. His aides have not provided specific evidence to support broader claims about the community.

Tensions rose again in late December after Nick Shirley, a conservative YouTuber, posted a video alleging widespread fraud at Somali-run child care centers in Minneapolis. The video, which showed Shirley attempting to enter several facilities while claiming he wanted to enroll a child, drew millions of views after being shared widely online, including by Elon Musk and U.S. Sen. JD Vance. State officials later said investigators visited the centers shown in the video and found them operating within regulations. Several child care providers rejected the allegations as unfounded.

Even so, Minnesota officials remain under pressure as some federal child care funds remain frozen. State authorities face a deadline this week to submit additional documentation to federal agencies detailing how funds were distributed.

The planned deployment follows immigration enforcement actions in December, when federal agents carried out targeted operations in Minneapolis and St. Paul shortly after Trump publicly called for tougher deportation measures. Those actions heightened anxiety within the local Somali community, most of whose members are U.S. citizens. Somali-Americans told national media outlets they began carrying passports and other identification out of concern they could be stopped or questioned by federal agents.

In one early-December incident, a masked federal agent detained a 20-year-old U.S. citizen of Somali descent before releasing him. Other encounters prompted protests and criticism from local officials. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara publicly criticized federal agents after video circulated showing an officer kneeling on a woman’s back as she lay on a snowbank during an enforcement operation. The incident occurred only miles from where George Floyd was killed by a police officer in 2020.

The Twin Cities area is home to the largest Somali-American population in the United States. Many residents trace their roots to Somalia, a Muslim-majority country in the Horn of Africa that has endured decades of conflict and instability. Census data show that nearly 58% of Somalis in Minnesota were born in the United States, while 87% of foreign-born Somalis in the state are naturalized U.S. citizens.

Community leaders say isolated cases of wrongdoing are being used to justify broader suspicion of an entire population. “Each time, the same pattern emerges: a single case is taken out of context, generalized, and then used to justify fear and discrimination,” said Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. He said the consequences are felt immediately: “Families live in fear, businesses are harmed, and trust in public institutions erodes.”

Gov. Tim Walz has announced he will not seek reelection, citing what he described as efforts by organized political actors to exploit the controversy. State officials say they will continue cooperating with federal authorities on program integrity while defending the rights of Minnesota residents.

Federal officials did not say when the new deployment would begin or how long it would remain in place.

By Ali Musa

Axadle Times international–Monitoring.

Tuesday January 6, 2026