WATCH: ICE deploys to suspected Minnesota fraud sites

Fox News covers Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minneapolis focused on investigating alleged widespread fraud in child care programs and other sectors. According to the report, federal prosecutors estimate the total alleged fraud in Minnesota could exceed $9 billion, with the Department of Homeland Security and FBI conducting a statewide crackdown.

The segment features an interview with ICE Director Todd Lyons, who discusses the agency’s activities on the ground. Fox News notes that according to information from the Attorney General, 98 individuals were charged in connection with the alleged fraud, with 85 of those charged being of Somali descent. Lyons states in the interview that ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations division has been examining alleged money trails to determine where funds may be going, including potential foreign destinations.

According to Lyons in the video, ICE agents have been serving criminal warrants as part of these investigations. He alleges that the agency has gone “door to door to a lot of these suspected fraud sites in Saint Paul and Minnesota.” The director emphasizes that ICE is conducting criminal investigations rather than solely administrative immigration enforcement actions.

Fox News presents a statement from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s office claiming the governor has worked for years to address fraud and requested more authority from the state legislature. However, the hosts suggest enforcement efforts intensified under the current federal administration’s leadership.

In Fox News’s Own Words

“Federal prosecutors say that the total fraud in Minnesota could ultimately be more than $9 billion.”

“When Homeland Investigations goes into these businesses, there is criminal activity when it comes to labor trafficking, child trafficking, human exploitation.”

“We have been on the ground for so long looking into these states are conducting material fraud.”

Lyons alleges in the interview that sanctuary jurisdiction policies have enabled fraudulent activities to occur, claiming that individuals engaged in alleged fraud use sanctuary protections to hide. He references “Operation Twin Shields,” which he describes as a collaborative effort with the FBI and other agencies that has been operating in Minnesota since September and November of the previous year.

The segment also includes discussion of comments made by the Los Angeles mayor regarding Latino border patrol agents, with Lyons defending ICE employees of all backgrounds who serve in law enforcement roles. Fox News notes that a significant percentage of Border Patrol agents are Hispanic.

This report highlights federal enforcement priorities regarding alleged benefit fraud and the intersection with immigration enforcement in sanctuary jurisdictions. The scale of the alleged fraud—potentially billions of dollars—represents significant taxpayer funds if the prosecutors’ estimates prove accurate, making this investigation relevant to debates about program oversight and interagency cooperation between federal and state authorities.