Minnesota is home to the largest Somali population in the United States. <\/p>\n
ST PAUL, Minn. \u2014 President Donald Trump called Minnesota “a hub of fraudulent money laundering activity” in a Truth Social<\/a> post Friday night, and said he is terminating the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalis living in Minnesota.\u00a0<\/p>\n It’s unclear if President Trump has the authority to suspend TPS<\/a> for a group in a certain state. The Secretary of Homeland Security<\/a> designates a foreign country for TPS when the conditions in that country prevent people from returning safely. This includes civil war, which Somalia has been engaged in since the 1990s.\u00a0<\/p>\n President Trump also said, “Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State” and “Send them back to where they came from.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\n <\/p>\n While it’s not clear what case of fraud President Trump is referring to in his post, fraud has been an issue in Minnesota social services, which KARE 11 has extensively covered. This includes the Feeding Our Future Fraud scheme<\/a>, which amounted to an estimated $300 million meant to have fed children during the pandemic. One of the most prolific defendants was sentenced to 28 years after having claimed to serve 18 million meals. Just this past week, a Minneapolis grocery store owner<\/a> was indicted on federal charges related to the scheme \u2014 the 77th defendant charged.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, President Trump’s claim that “BILLIONS of Dollars are missing” is a significant exaggeration.<\/p>\n