Trump Administration Targets Somali Americans in Minnesota Welfare Scandal

The Trump administration has signaled its intent to revoke citizenship for any Somali Americans convicted of fraud in Minnesota’s large-scale welfare scandal, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday.

Leavitt stated that the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State are currently examining the matter.

Approximately 90 individuals in Minnesota have been charged with defrauding state and federal programs that provide nutrition, healthcare, and housing assistance. Most of the defendants are of East African descent and are believed to be part of Minnesota’s Somali community, which is the largest such population in the United States.

In one program alone—the “Feeding Our Future” scheme—57 guilty pleas and convictions have occurred. The scheme was named after a Minnesota nonprofit that billed the government for hundreds of millions of meals that were never served.

Estimates of the cost to taxpayers range from $250 million to $1 billion.