Fox News on Alleged Fraud Schemes in Minnesota

In this video, Fox News Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt discusses allegations of widespread fraud involving refugees and asylum seekers in Minnesota. According to Leavitt, the cases represent what she characterizes as systemic abuse of American social programs and taxpayer funds.

Leavitt alleges that 86 people have been charged in connection with a fraud scheme spanning multiple programs in Minnesota. According to the video, 78 of those 86 charged individuals are Somali immigrants, representing 91% of those charged. Leavitt states that 59 people have so far been convicted for their roles in fraud plots that allegedly stole $1 billion from taxpayers.

The video outlines two specific schemes. In the first, Leavitt alleges that a nonprofit and its affiliates with Somali migrants claimed to have fed tens of thousands of American children during the pandemic and were reimbursed by taxpayers for those meals. However, according to Leavitt, federal prosecutors found that almost all of those meals were allegedly never delivered to children. She claims that instead, the organizations’ leaders allegedly spent the money on houses, luxury cars, and real estate in Turkey and Kenya.

In the second scheme, Leavitt alleges that hundreds of organizations were reimbursed for services supposedly designed to help people at risk of homelessness. According to the video, those services were allegedly never provided.

Leavitt frames these allegations within a broader critique of immigration policy and Democratic leadership. She references reporting by the New York Times about Somali immigrants in Minnesota, describing the coverage as overdue. She argues that the fraud represents an abuse of the asylum system by people who allegedly came to the United States under claims of fleeing persecution.

Leavitt concludes by stating that the conduct has occurred under Democrat leadership in a Democrat-run state, and asserts that the current administration will not tolerate such actions going forward. She frames the issue as one of resources that should go to law-abiding taxpaying Americans.

In Fox News’s Own Words

“86 people have been charged in a rampant and widespread fraud scheme spanning multiple programs in Minnesota. Of those 86, 78 of those people are Somali.”

“Federal prosecutors found that almost all of those meals were never even delivered to hungry children. In fact, those organizations leaders spent the money on houses, luxury cars, and real estate in Turkey and Kenya.”

“They are abusing our system. They are draining our resources that should be going to law-abiding, taxpaying Americans.”

Why It Matters

These allegations, if substantiated, would represent significant misuse of federal social programs during a period of substantial government spending. The cases touch on ongoing debates about asylum policy, immigration enforcement, and program administration.