Viral MAGA influencer video triggers Trump funding freeze: Minnesota 'Somali childcare fraud' controversy | EXPLAINED
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Viral MAGA influencer video triggers Trump funding freeze: Minnesota 'Somali childcare fraud' controversy | EXPLAINED")
Nick Shirley alleges that fraud worth millions of dollars is underfoot in Minnesota Photograph: (Screenshots nickshirleyy/X video)
The Trump administration has frozen child care funds for Minnesota, citing alleged fraud at centres run by Somali Americans. The state denies wrongdoing and calls it politics. WION breaks down what Minnesota fraud claims are, where they came from, and more. Scroll down.
The Donald Trump administration on Tuesday (Dec 30) announced that it is freezing child care funds for the state of Minnesota. This is being done over alleged fraud schemes involving government programmes. On X, Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Jim O'Neill said that the move will counter "blatant fraud that appears to be rampant in Minnesota and across the country". Denying the charge, Minnesota governor Tim Walz on X said that fraudsters were a serious issue that the state has been cracking down on, but alleged that the move was all part of "Trump's long game," slamming the POTUS for "politicising the issue to defund programs that help Minnesotans". What fraud is allegedly rampant in Minnesota? All you need to know.
Minnesota fraud scandal
According to a recent YouTube video posted by right-wing influencer Nick Shirley, Minnesota, which is home to America's largest Somali population, has widespread fraud at Somali-run child care centres.
Shirley, who has previously created anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim videos, backs his allegations with limited evidence. His video, however, has already racked up millions of views and has even earned a retweet by US Vice President JD Vance and former DOGE chief Elon Musk.
But what does he show in the video?
The 23-year-old influencer, who refers to himself as an independent journalist, tries to enter several child care centres, which he suggests aren't fully operational despite receiving funding through the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), which provides childcare to low-income families.
In his video, Shirley alleges that he tried to enter multiple childcare centres during "midday" but said that there were no children in the federally funded social service centres. Instead, he said he encountered locked doors and blacked out windows. He alleged that fraud worth millions of dollars is underfoot.
Fraud or protecting children from strange men?
However, according to Clare Sanford, the vice president of government and community relations for the Minnesota Child Care Association, the allegations were false. In a statement to CNN, Sanford said that it was not unusual for child care centres to keep doors locked or require a key for entry. She added that most child care centres, due to child privacy concerns, would be especially wary of allowing a strange man to film inside.
Trending Stories
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
Meanwhile, Ahmed Hasin, the director of one of the centres featured in Shirley's video, claims that the influencer's video is politically motivated. Talking to Kare 11, he said that Shirley showed up in a vehicle without license plates alongside masked men. "A lot of people are not feeling safe," he said, adding, "Some people believe him. The viral video was shared everywhere."
What now?
FBI director Kash Patel, in a recent statement, said that following the YouTube video, the FBI was investigating suspected fraud at Minnesota social service childcare centres. On X, he said, "The FBI believes this is just the tip of a very large iceberg".
