By Naveen Athrappully
Contributing Writer
Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans on ramping up activities in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Twin Cities region in Minnesota, border czar Tom Homan said in a Tuesday interview on Fox News.
On Nov. 21, President Donald Trump announced he was immediately rescinding temporary protected status for Somali immigrants living in Minnesota.
“Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State, and BILLIONS of dollars are missing,” he wrote in a post on Truth Social, and suggested Minnesota was “a hub of fraudulent money laundering activity.”
During a Tuesday press conference, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey accused the Trump administration of committing “so much time, energy, and money to terrorizing certain groups within our community.”
Homan dismissed Frey’s characterization of the federal government’s implementation of immigration policies, saying that federal law enforcement was going to the region for “illegal aliens and illegal alien criminals.”
“And look, we’ve done operations in [the] Twin Cities. But you know, the uncovering of criminal activity that Secretary (Kristi) Noem just talked about just elevates their priority status,” Homan told Fox News. “So, yes, you know, there’s going to be an increase of activity up there, and we’re going to hold people accountable.”
Homan added that even legal immigrants who commit crimes will be subject to deportation.
“We’re going to enforce the laws of this country without apology, including in the Twin Cities,” he said.
As for more details on when ICE plans to deploy forces in the region, Homan said specific details could not be revealed at the moment and that the “focus is on those Twin Cities more because of the criminal activities uncovered by DOJ and DHS.”
During a recent Cabinet meeting of administration officials, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said there was significant fraud in Minnesota’s visas and other programs.
Multiple fraud schemes in the state that allegedly exploited welfare programs and collected billions of dollars in taxpayer funds have recently come to light. Many individuals in these alleged fraud networks are from the Somali community.
One scheme, involving nonprofit organization Feeding Our Future and its affiliates, is accused of stealing more than $240 million in federal funds related to COVID-19 pandemic relief.
In September, the Department of Justice announced another scam involving millions of dollars in fraudulent Medicaid claims submitted through the Housing Stabilization Services program.
In a Monday post on X, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the department was investigating claims that Minnesota’s tax dollars may have been stolen by fraudsters and diverted to the al-Shabaab terrorist group in Somalia.
According to data from Minnesota Compass, nearly 80,000 Somalis are living in Minnesota, with the Twin Cities region alone accounting for around 78%.
ICE Operations in Minnesota
Responding to Trump’s ending deportation protections for Somali immigrants, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said in a Nov. 21 post on X: “It’s not surprising that the president has chosen to broadly target an entire community. This is what he does to change the subject.”
Walz also criticized ICE operations in the Twin Cities.
“We welcome support in investigating and prosecuting crime. But pulling a PR stunt and indiscriminately targeting immigrants is not a real solution to a problem,” he said in a Tuesday post on X.
In his Tuesday press conference, Frey cited media reports to suggest that as many as 100 federal agents are expected to be deployed to the Twin Cities “with a specific focus on targeting our Somali community.”
“To our Somali community, we love you, and we stand with you. That commitment is rock solid,” he said, adding that Minneapolis is home to the largest Somali community in the United States.
“Targeting Somali people means that due process will be violated. Mistakes will be made. And let’s be clear, it means that American citizens will be detained for no other reason than the fact that they look like they are Somali.”
During the conference, Brian O’Hara, chief of the Minneapolis Police Department, said that if people see masked individuals, who they are not sure are law enforcement and may be kidnappers, “you should call 911.”
Homan criticized the police chief’s statement.
“Shame for any law enforcement officer who compares us to a bad guy, kidnappers. Bottom line is an ICE, a Border Patrol shows up, yeah, they have gear on,” he stated.
The officers may be wearing masks to prevent doxxing and protect their spouses and children, he noted, adding, “But they got clear identification.”
Meanwhile, the Department of Transportation has accused Minnesota of illegally issuing commercial driver’s licenses to noncitizens. The department asked the state on Monday to revoke these licenses. Failure to do so would risk losing more than $30 million in federal highway funding.
The offices of the governor and the Minneapolis mayor did not respond to requests for comment on the fraud allegations by publication time.
