Chutzpah much?
Somali community activists in Minneapolis held a press conference to demand grants and emergency relief following recent ICE enforcement actions.
Members of Neighbors United called for direct payments to immigrant-owned small businesses earning less than $200,000 a year, and speakers described "ICE terror," claimed widespread trauma, and asked state and federal officials to fund housing support and business stabilization.
Video from the event shows organizers insisting federal agents caused economic harm and emotional damage, arguing that business owners lost revenue and families fear eviction because of enforcement operations.
Their demand follows earlier calls from Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for federal reimbursement tied to enforcement-related costs. Walz said Minnesota absorbed significant financial strain, and Frey estimated that Minneapolis lost over $203 million in wages, small-business revenue, and canceled hotel stays.
Both urged Congress to pursue compensation.
The fraud backdrop no one wants to discuss
Minnesota officials have acknowledged that the state lost as much as $18 billion to social services fraud schemes over the past few years. Federal prosecutors charged dozens of defendants in large-scale fraud cases tied to pandemic feeding programs. Court filings show millions diverted overseas, including transfers linked to Somalia.
Some investigative findings raised concerns that funds may be benefiting extremist groups abroad.
The scale dwarfs the dollar figures cited during the reparations press conference, where billions vanished while state agencies failed to detect or stop fraudulent billing, and taxpayers absorbed the loss.
ICE enforcement didn't create that fraud network; federal agents targeted people accused of criminal conduct, including fraud and violent offenses.
Operation Metro Surge
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that Operation Metro Surge led to over 3,000 arrests of criminal illegal aliens in Minnesota, while over 4,000 dangerous people nationwide were apprehended during related operations.
One such removal involved Abdikadir Sheik Usuf, a Somali national with convictions for assault, forgery, and obstruction, along with prior arrests for drugs and theft. Federal authorities identified targets based on criminal records and outstanding warrants.
ICE agents enforce immigration law under federal statute, and when officers execute warrants or conduct removals, they work within that legal framework.
Political leaders shift the focus
Gov. Walz and Mayor Frey framed enforcement as a burden placed on local communities, while activists framed it as trauma requiring financial compensation.
Missing from both arguments is a basic reality: When federal authorities remove people accused of, or convicted of, crimes, enforcement follows.
The broader pattern raises a serious question. Why do calls for taxpayer-funded reparations arise immediately after arrests, yet years of documented fraud and financial misconduct produced little urgency for reform?
Minnesota built one of the largest Somali communities outside Somalia through refugee resettlement and migration programs. Many families contribute positively to the state's economy and civic life.
At the same time, large fraud schemes tied to pandemic relief exposed glaring oversight failures.
Public frustration grows when enforcement of criminal conduct prompts demands for payment.
Not accountability.
Law enforcement or grievance industry
President Donald Trump directed ICE to prioritize the removal of criminal offenders and strengthen interior enforcement. Federal officers carried out that directive, and activists responded with press conferences and grant proposals.
If state and local officials had fully cooperated with federal detainers and aggressively addressed fraud earlier, large-scale raids might not have become such a drama. Early intervention would have limited escalation; instead, leaders resisted cooperation while billions slipped away. Now, enforcement draws outrage, while fraud losses will probably never be recovered.
Minnesota residents who pay taxes and obey the law watch the spectacle unfold, seeing elected officials demand compensation for enforcement actions while struggling to explain how massive fraud networks operated for years.
ICE agents execute warrants, courts issue charges, and federal prosecutors build cases. Demands for reparations don't erase criminal conduct or undo financial damage that the public has already suffered.
Somali leaders cry trauma while ignoring the $18 billion fraud.
The difference is very clear.
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