HHS freezes Minnesota child care funds after fraud allegations
The federal Department of Health and Human Services has frozen all child care payments to the state of Minnesota, citing “blatant fraud” at the state’s child care centers.
WASHINGTON – The Trump administration is considering denaturalizing Somali Americans in Minnesota who were involved in fraud, a move that seeks to strip U.S. citizenship from people who illegally obtained tax money meant for social services.
White House press secretary Caroline Levitt spoke about the potential action in a Dec. 31 appearance on Fox News, a day after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services froze child care payments to Minnesota following fraud at day care centers in the state.
“We’re also not afraid to use denaturalization,” Levitt said. “This is a tool that the president and the secretary of state have at their disposal, and it’s a tool that this administration has used before.”
Seventy-eight of the 86 people charged in the $250 million mega case involving a Minnesota-administered program have been identified as Somali-American. Approximately 80,000 Somali immigrants live in Minnesota, the largest number of any state. Most are naturalized citizens, or foreign-born individuals who have gone through the legal process to obtain citizenship.
Asked if President Trump would want to strip Somali-Americans of their citizenship if they are convicted of fraud, Levitt said, “Absolutely.” “This is something that the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State are currently considering.”
Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, appeared on the “Charlie Kirk Show” podcast on Dec. 30 and said that DHS agents are currently going “door-to-door” to suspected fraudulent sites in Minnesota “to ensure we trace the flow of money here and result in arrests, prosecutions, and ultimately deportations.”
Federal prosecutors have charged 86 people with felonies for allegedly stealing federal taxes intended to help hungry children during the coronavirus pandemic for personal gain. More than 60 people have pleaded guilty or been sentenced so far. The lawsuit was originally filed by the Biden administration.
The White House also used a recent viral video posted by conservative influencer Nick Shirley to claim that millions of dollars in state tax dollars are being poured into abandoned daycare centers. FBI Director Kash Patel said on December 28 that the bureau “has urgently mobilized personnel and investigative resources to Minnesota to dismantle a large-scale fraud scheme that exploits federal programs.”
Stripping citizenship from naturalized U.S. citizens is rare and the hurdles are high. The final decision is made by the federal courts, not the government. Denaturalization can be pursued either through civil litigation or criminal conviction.
A database created by Hofstra University law professor Irina Mantra found that during President Donald Trump’s first term, the Justice Department filed 168 denaturalization lawsuits in federal court, while the Biden administration filed 64 similar lawsuits. Between 1990 and 2007, an average of 11 degeneration cases were filed per year.
According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, a federal agency, common grounds for denaturalization include “illegal procurement of naturalization” or “concealment or intentional misrepresentation of material facts.” Additionally, the federal government can cite an individual’s current or past ties to a totalitarian political party or terrorist organization.
President Trump has called Somali immigrants in Minnesota “trash,” sparking a backlash from immigrant rights advocates who say the White House’s focus on Minnesota fraud is an excuse to target immigrants. President Trump and the Republican Party have accused Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, his 2024 Democratic vice presidential candidate, of allowing the fraud to be discovered.
Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minnesota), an ally of President Trump, called for the denaturalization of Somali Americans convicted of fraud in a Dec. 30 Facebook post.
“When it comes to Somalis who have defrauded American taxpayers, I have three things to say: Send them home. If they are here illegally, deport them immediately. If they are naturalized citizens, strip them of their citizenship and then deport them immediately,” Emmer said.
Contributed by: Reuters
