The number of federal officers in Minnesota is growing as an investigation into alleged daycare fraud intensifies. This increase in police officers in the state comes in the wake of a viral video that claims several day care centers in the state are receiving funding from the state’s child welfare program without actually operating.
On Tuesday, Minnesota State Representative Kristin Robbins shared a video on X news portal that it claimed showed a daycare worker paying kickbacks to parents who were allegedly involved in the scheme.
Robbins shared the video and wrote, “It’s the same playbook that’s been used for years – now also seen with autism center charges and trusted whistleblower reports on commissions in transportation and adult care. @Tim_Walz and DHS ignored obvious red flags and patterns.”
Both Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and FBI Director Kash Patel have announced that operations in the state are increasing. The move follows a viral video posted by YouTuber Nick Shirley which claimed to have exposed more than $100 million worth of fraud by Somali residents in the state.
DHS also released videos of their visits to several businesses in the state, claiming, “Our investigative agents are conducting a massive operation to identify, arrest and take down criminals defrauding the American people. We will eradicate this rampant fraud plaguing Minnesota.”
The video has received more than 1.5 million views on YouTube and has also been shared by the likes of US Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk.
On Monday, Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families Commissioner Tikki Brown said at a news conference that state authorities are taking the allegations seriously.
“While we have questions about some of the methods that were used in the video, we take the concerns that the video raises about fraud very seriously,” Brown said, according to CNN affiliate KARE.
Noem posted on social media that police are “conducting a large-scale investigation into child welfare and other rampant fraud.” Patel said the intent was to “dismantle large-scale fraud programs using federal programs.”
CNN spoke with a law enforcement official who said DHS agents visited about 30 businesses in Minneapolis on Monday over Shirley’s video.
Quality Learning Center – in the eye of the storm
KARE spoke with the manager of the Quality Learning Center, one of the childcare centers Shirley reportedly closed but still receives funding. Manager Ibrahim Ali told the newspaper that Shirley arrived at the center when it was supposed to remain closed.
“There is absolutely no fraud going on,” Ali told the paper.
The video also pointed out a typo on a sign outside the establishment where “Learning” was written as “Learning”. When Ali asked about it, he told the outlet that it was the sign maker’s mistake and it would be fixed soon.
