President Trump on Wednesday blamed Somali immigrants for the alleged fraud at child care centers across Minnesota.
“Much of the Minnesota fraud, up to 90%, is caused by people that came into our country, illegally from Somalia,” Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social, adding, “Send them back to where they came, Somalia, perhaps the worst and most corrupt country on earth.”
Mr. Trump’s condemnation of the Somali immigrants follows his administration freezing all federal payments to Minnesota day cares in the wake of YouTube journalist Nick Shirley’s videos showing many of the child care centers appearing to be inactive, including one with a sign that spelled “learning” as “learing.”
The Trump administration has vowed to crack down on the purported fraud. Federal prosecutors are probing up to $100 million in scams supposedly perpetrated by Somali residents in Minneapolis, which has one of the largest Somali populations in the country.
The president also took aim at Rep. Ilhan Omar, Minnesota Democrat and the first Somali American elected to Congress. She has been a harsh critic of Mr. Trump.
“‘Congresswoman’ Omar, an ungrateful loser who complains and never contributes, is one of the many scammers. Did she really marry her brother? Lowlifes like this can only be a liability to our Country’s greatness,” he said.
Doubts about Ms. Omar’s legal status in the U.S. and claims she married her brother have circulated in conservative circles since 2018, just before she was elected to Congress. However, no one has come forward with concrete evidence about such a marriage.
Ms. Omar has dismissed the claims as “disgusting lies” and provided detailed marriage and divorce records to The Associated Press when she was elected.
In a follow-up post, Mr. Trump alleged there is “more fraud in California than there is in Minnesota, if that is even possible.”
“When you add Election Fraud, then they are tied for first. Two crooked governors, two crooked states,” Mr. Trump wrote, referring to California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, both Democrats.
It was unclear which fraud Mr. Trump was referring to. Last week, the California State Auditor found several agencies wasted, misused or failed to report more than $5 million in funds.
The report also found five substantiated fraud allegations involving state agencies, including wasting $4.6 million on monthly service fees for more than 6,200 mobile devices that went unused for years by the Employment Development Department.
Other agencies accused of fraud include the California Air Resources Board, which paid an employee on extended leave an extra $170,000, and the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, where a manager used state vehicles for personal use.
