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Media and political focus on these cases increased even more sharply when YouTuber Nick Shirley published videos in late December 2025 alleging widespread fraud at Somali‑run childcare centers, based on visits during hours when those centers were closed. That video went viral, being shared and amplified by national political figures, though Minnesota regulators later found that many of the centers were in fact operating normally when inspected, and they cautioned that the initial claims lacked clear evidence for fraud at the specific sites visited by Shirley.
In response to the heightened scrutiny — fueled in part by online social media attention — the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services froze certain federal child care funding to Minnesota, and the Trump administration increased federal presence in the state to pursue broader alleged fraud across multiple programs.
So, there is a complex backdrop of actual investigations, state and federal law enforcement actions, and widely shared but unverified online claims — all contributing to the current controversy.
Trump’s Response: Policy and Rhetoric
President Trump responded to the Minnesota developments with critiques of state officials, Minnesota’s Somali community, and national immigration policies. In messages on his social platform Truth Social and in public statements, he accused Minnesota of being a “hub of fraudulent money laundering activity” and directly tied alleged abuses to broader concerns about immigration and enforcement.
