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The scene last week in Minneapolis was telling: Mayor Jacob Frey, newly re-elected, went out of his way to address voters in Somali during his victory speech while his state simultaneously reels from a massive fraud investigation that has been tied to elements of the Somali community. Reports allege a sprawling scheme involving programs like Feeding Our Future and other frauds that federal and state investigators say siphoned off enormous sums of taxpayer dollars, with some investigators even tracing money back to Somalia. Americans watching this pairing of pandering and scandal have every right to be furious and demand answers.
Conservative commentators smelled what every honest taxpayer smells: pandering. Video of Frey leading chants and speaking in Somali lit up social media as critics blasted the mayor for putting identity politics and political calculation ahead of straightforward accountability for Minnesota families whose money was allegedly stolen. This isn’t just tone-deaf politics; it’s a pattern where elected Democrats reward loyalty and coalition-building even as serious questions about fraud and national security swirl.
The fraud allegations are not small potatoes and they are not just partisan smoke. Investigations by outside researchers and journalists, along with criminal charges and guilty pleas, point to large-scale abuse of state programs tied to nutrition, housing and Medicaid services; officials say dozens have been charged and multiple convictions have followed. When taxpayer dollars vanish into opaque channels, and when whistleblowers and prosecutors raise alarms, the public has a right to demand the full truth — not an emotional speech in a foreign tongue.
Worse still, credible reporting has suggested some of the stolen funds were funneled overseas and may have reached extremist groups in Somalia, raising an urgent national-security dimension to what Democrats would prefer to call a local policy problem. That transforms this from a state-level budget scandal into a matter of homeland security and immigration enforcement, and it demands a federal response that prioritizes safety and the rule of law. Political leaders who reflexively shield immigrant constituencies from scrutiny are essentially putting politics over safety.
Mayor Frey’s quick defense of Somali residents — saying they’ve been an “extraordinary benefit” to Minneapolis — would sound noble if it weren’t delivered at the precise moment taxpayers are learning how their cash was allegedly stolen. There is a difference between welcoming honest, hard-working immigrants and excusing or minimizing criminal enterprises that victimize Americans and erode trust in government. Democrats who reflexively circle the wagons for partisan constituencies must answer whether loyalty to a voter bloc ever outweighs loyalty to the rule of law and to the taxpayers who foot the bill.
Federal authorities appear to be responding: reports of ICE activity and discussions in Washington about immigration consequences show the consequences of politicizing enforcement. If investigations show individuals exploited immigration status, public benefits, or charity programs to commit sprawling fraud — and worse, to send money to hostile actors abroad — then deportations, revocations of status, and criminal prosecutions are appropriate and necessary to protect Americans. Conservatives should demand these measures not as vengeance but as common-sense safeguards for our communities and our budget.
This is the moment conservatives must seize: insist on accountability, push for stringent oversight of taxpayer-funded programs, and stop allowing identity politics to serve as a shield for corruption. We can welcome immigrants who come legally and contribute honestly while simultaneously rooting out crime and protecting taxpayers. Americans deserve leaders who put country before coalition, truth before political theater, and security before performative virtue.
