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President Donald Trump has launched a racially charged attack against Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), accusing her and Somali immigrants of fueling alleged fraud in Minnesota.
In a Truth Social post on Wednesday (December 31), Trump claimed that “much of the Minnesota Fraud, up to 90%,” was caused by undocumented immigrants from Somalia. The president also singled out Omar, a Somali American, as an “ungrateful loser” and a “scammer.”
“Much of the Minnesota Fraud, up to 90%, is caused by people that came into our Country, illegally, from Somalia,” Trump wrote. “‘Congresswoman’ Omar, an ungrateful loser who only complains and never contributes, is one of the many scammers. Did she really marry her brother? Lowlifes like this can only be a liability to our Country’s greatness. Send them back from where they came, Somalia, perhaps the worst, and most corrupt, country on earth. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”
Trump’s remarks came days after a right-wing influencer posted a video alleging that Somali-run day care centers in Minneapolis committed as much as $100 million in fraud. After the video went viral, FBI Director Kash Patel and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced stepped-up federal operations in Minnesota to investigate potential fraud involving federal social services funds.
On Tuesday (December 30), the Department of Health and Human Services froze child care payments to Minnesota. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that the administration was considering stripping citizenship from Somali Americans found to have participated in fraud.
Trump has repeatedly targeted Somali immigrants in recent weeks, previously referring to them as “garbage” and stating he does not want Somali immigration to the United States.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) pushed back against the administration’s actions, calling them politically motivated.
“We’ve spent years cracking down on fraudsters,” Walz wrote on social media. “It’s a serious issue — but this has been his plan all along. He’s politicizing the issue to defund programs that help Minnesotans.”
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