Raids, protests, and the Somali mafia: What happened in Minnesota
While protests against migration raids are taking place in Minneapolis, federal prosecutors are investigating a scheme of embezzlement of funds intended for baby food. According to various estimates, the damage could reach $18 billion. Now the matter has moved to the political plane: Donald Trump accuses the state authorities of trying to cover up crimes. The story of how the fraud investigation in Minnesota escalated into a confrontation between Democrats and Republicans is in the Izvestia article.
High-profile scandals
"These are criminals — real, hardened criminals," is how US President Donald Trump described illegal migrants in Minnesota. Nevertheless, the federal authorities have partially mitigated the situation: the number of employees of the migration services (ICE) in the state will be reduced by 700 people. Taking into account the fact that about 3 thousand agents were previously sent to the region, such a measure can rather be called symbolic.
Earlier, mass protests against the actions of ICE officers began in the state. The latter shot two people during the raid: on January 7, 37—year-old Renee McClean Goode, and on January 24, nurse Alex Jeffrey Pretty. Judging by the published videos, they were not armed at the time of their arrest. These events provoked a new wave of protests in Minneapolis.
Trump came to the defense of the security forces. He linked the protests to an investigation into fraud in social programs in the state and attacked the Democrats. "As a result of the chaos caused by the Democrats, two US citizens were killed," he wrote.
Indeed, over the past few years, law enforcement agencies have been uncovering more and more cases of abuse and fraud in the state. According to the combined estimates of the prosecutor's office, the potential damage from all identified schemes can reach $18 billion. We are not talking about the amounts confirmed by court verdicts, but about the total amount of suspicious and inappropriate payments.
The most high-profile episode was the case of the non-profit organization Feeding Our Future, which participated in the federal baby food supply program during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the investigation, employees of the organization and related cafe owners sent fictitious documents to the Department of Education about the number of children fed. Moreover, federal prosecutors claim that only about 3% of the funds allocated to Feeding Our Future were spent on food.
78 charges were brought in this case, 57 people were found guilty. The situation is complicated by the fact that most of them come from the Somali community. In total, the participants of the scheme embezzled about $ 250 million, which they spent on expensive cars and luxury real estate.
However, the investigation did not stop there. During 2025, law enforcement agencies have identified other patterns of abuse, including those related to preferential housing programs and assistance to children with autism spectrum disorders. The investigation believes that the services were either not provided at all, or were provided using forged documents. In some cases, data from children from migrant families was used in the schemes. In September, prosecutors charged nine more suspects in two new cases of misuse of public funds.
At the same time, these stories received a wide public response after the publication of a video study by blogger Nick Shirley. In late December, he visited several kindergartens in the Somali diaspora areas near Minneapolis. Despite federal funding, the author argued, most institutions were not actually functioning — there were practically no children there. According to his version, such organizations existed formally, and the allocated funds settled with their owners.
Mafia or lawlessness by force
Somalis began to come to the United States en masse in the late 1990s. The federal refugee resettlement program provided for their placement not in large cities, but in states with a shortage of labor and with a lower cost of living. This list also includes Minnesota. Over time, the migrants integrated, obtained American citizenship, and transported family members to their homes. By 2015, according to the census, more than 100 thousand people from Somalia lived in the state, about 30 thousand of them in Minneapolis.
As Andrei Kortunov, scientific director of the Russian Council on International Affairs, explains to Izvestia, the consequences of this process are becoming apparent today, primarily of an economic nature.
— At the same time, as often happens in such conditions, ethnic clans and mafias are forming, and crime is growing. This includes the issue of falsification of social assistance programs that allow significant funds to be stolen," the expert concludes.
The Somali diaspora in Minnesota is often perceived as extremely numerous, although in reality its scale is relatively small, American scholar Anastasia Bunina also points out in an interview with Izvestia. For comparison, about 80,000 people arrive in the United States annually from Cuba alone.
— In fact, the assessment of the situation is often distorted on both sides. Democrats tend to minimize the scale of problems related to abuse in the social sphere. Whereas Republicans, on the contrary, often exaggerate them. In fact, there are confirmed cases of fraud in social programs, when they illegally received tax funds. At the same time, representatives of a wide variety of groups participated in such schemes: people from Somalia, African Americans, Latinos and Native Americans. The ethnic factor is not decisive here," the political scientist explains.
As for the protests, according to her, Trump's suspicions do not stand up to criticism. In Minnesota, they were caused primarily by the actions of ICE officers who behaved like "poorly trained police officers."
— It was not so much about abuse of authority as about misunderstanding the boundaries of what is acceptable. In particular, there were two deaths. And this has become the main trigger of public discontent," Anastasia Bunina points out.
There will be fewer payouts
The theme of Minnesota will be promoted during the election campaigns, Andrei Kortunov believes. According to him, it has already become a symbol, and not just a separate incident in one state.
— We are talking about a broader issue — how to understand American identity, how to treat migrants in general, and to what extent the state has the right to use harsh methods to implement its policies. Obviously, all this will have a long-term impact on political life not only in Minnesota, but also in the United States as a whole. This issue has become fundamental for both sides of the political confrontation," Kortunov explained.
However, as Anastasia Bunina notes, at the national level, the consequences will be felt only in the case of harsh actions by the security forces. This could hurt Trump's ratings.
— And only if such facts become noticeable and loud. Otherwise, people will turn a blind eye to it. For Republicans, Minnesota is a good reason to talk about the fact that all social programs are being stolen, so they still need to be cut," she concluded.
As for the future of social policy, according to Kortunov, if Republicans remain in power, control over aid programs will be strengthened and their reduction will begin. It's not a lack of funds, but ideology: Republicans believe that expanding social programs leads to dependency, reduces the desire for independent economic activity and undermines the "American dream."
"If the Democrats remain in power, some of the programs will most likely be preserved or restored, but in a more targeted and individualized format to reduce the risk of abuse," the expert believes. — At the same time, a return to large-scale programs of the times when assistance was provided almost without restrictions is no longer expected.
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