The Department of Homeland Security is deploying a surge of federal law enforcement personnel to Minnesota as the Trump administration responds to allegations of widespread fraud involving state child care payments.
The massive 30-day surge began on Sunday with roughly 1,000 additional agents deployed to Minneapolis and St. Paul, including from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a person familiar with the plans told MS NOW. Agents who were already on the ground are expected to have their deployment extended, the person said.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin confirmed the deployment to MS NOW but did not provide details on the number of agents on the ground.
The fraud allegations were fueled by a viral video from 23-year-old conservative content creator, Nick Shirley, that alleged Somali-run day cares were receiving federal subsidies without actually providing child care. In the 43-minute video, Shirley visits what he says are fake day care centers. But the evidence for his allegations are unsubtantiated. The director of one of the facilities told a local news station that Shirley had arrived at the center with a team of people, some masked, causing fear.
Still, the video was spread by top officials in the Trump administration, including Vice President JD Vance and FBI Director Kash Patel.
President Donald Trump has often attributed the alleged fraud to the state’s Somali immigrant population. Late last year, ICE carried out an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis aimed at people who had received deportation orders, including immigrants from Somalia. As of mid-December, at least 400 immigrants were detained, according to DHS.
Minneapolis is among a growing list of cities targeted by the Trump administration in a nationwide crackdown on crime and immigration. In recent months, agents and National Guard troops have been sent to cities including Washington, D.C., and Memphis. States and cities have filed lawsuits over the actions.
In a rare reversal last week, Trump announced he is pulling National Guard troops out of Chicago; Los Angeles; and Portland, Oregon.
The move substantially expands federal law enforcement’s presence in Minnesota amid rising political and community tensions. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced on Monday that he is suspending his campaign for a third term as his administration faces scrutiny over the fraud allegations. DHS recently paused federal child care payments to the state and announced last week that the suspension would be expanded nationwide pending a fraud investigation.
On Monday, ICE posted an email appearing to be from a Hilton hotel that said reservations for DHS and ICE agents had been canceled. A statement from Hilton said the hotel in the email is “independently owned and operated, and the actions referenced are not reflective of Hilton values.” The company added that it is “investigating this matter with this individual hotel.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s office and Walz’s office did not immediately respond to MS NOW for comment.
