Rep. Ilhan Omar says federal probe into Minnesota's welfare fraud is "creating confusion and chaos"
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Updated on: January 11, 2026 / 4:47 PM EST / CBS News
Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar denounced a surge of federal agents to Minneapolis targeting Somalis and other immigrants after a fraud scheme in the state, saying the Trump administration has sown "confusion and chaos."
"It's not necessary in a moment when we are trying to deal with a serious problem that needs serious people to be able to address it," Omar said Sunday on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan."
The Minneapolis area now has one of the largest concentrations of Department of Homeland Security agents in any American city in recent years. There are more than 2,400 federal agents, more than double the number of local police officers, and the federal government intends to send hundreds more.
The administration says the surge has been necessary to conduct both immigration enforcement and to investigate a growing fraud scandal in the state, the cost of which federal prosecutors estimate could top $9 billion. The scandal dates back to 2021, when Biden administration Justice Department investigators first honed in on an at least $250 million COVID-era scam revolving around the Feeding Our Future program, a case that now includes more than 75 defendants.
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https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ilhan-omar-federal-probe-into-minnesota-welfare-fraud-face-the-nation/