Refugee flood isn’t smart policy, it’s the gift that keeps on taking
89% of Somali immigrant families use welfare programs as Minnesota fraud scandal exposes deeper fiscal issues
By Simon Hankinson Fox News
Published January 12, 2026 5:00am EST
The saga of federal benefits fraud in Minnesota is still being told. Democrat Gov. Tim Walz dropping out of his bid for re-election to a third term is only the latest chapter.
Reports of fraud in childcare operations, and the connection to Twin Cities’ Somali immigrants, go back almost a decade. But state politicians and the legacy media initially ignored or downplayed the story, probably because most of the perpetrators were from a minority that carries "intersectional" clout in woke circles and electoral clout for Democrats.
In 2025, the magazine County Highway reported in depth on the scam, followed by the City Journal, and finally even The New York Times. Walz, who has been in power for nearly eight years, tried to shift blame away from himself and from Somalis on to President Donald Trump and conservatives for noticing. It didn’t work.
But there’s an underlying story that is no less important: the much larger cost of absorbing millions of low-skilled immigrants.
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https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/refugee-flood-isnt-smart-policy-its-gift-keeps-taking
