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Year: 2025

DHS reviews citizenship cases from Somalia, other high risk countries for possible fraud

DHS reviews citizenship cases from Somalia, other high risk countries for possible fraud

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is reviewing immigration and naturalization cases involving migrants from 19 countries of concern, including Somalia, to determine whether any individuals obtained American citizenship through fraud that could warrant denaturalization, DHS confirmed to Fox News. “Under U.S. law, if an individual procures citizenship on a fraudulent basis, that is grounds for denaturalization,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to Fox News. The review focuses on whether fraud occurred during the immigration or naturalization process, such as marriage fraud or false statements made to obtain legal status or citizenship. The confirmation comes as Republican lawmakers have called for tougher consequences following Minnesota’s ongoing child care fraud scandal, which has involved millions of dollars in alleged misuse of federal funds. HHS PROBES MINNESOTA’S USE OF BILLIONS IN FEDERAL SOCIAL SERVICE FUNDS AMID FRAUD CONCERNS: REPORT DHS emphasized that denaturalization, or stripping of citizenship, is governed by strict legal standards and applies only under limited circumstances. The review includes cases tied to 19 countries that DHS considers countries of concern, including Somalia. DHS did not specify how many cases are currently under review or whether any individuals have been referred for denaturalization proceedings. Denaturalization is a rare and intense legal process. Historically, the federal government has pursued only between a dozen and a few dozen cases per year, dating back to the 1990s. COMER SUMMONS MINNESOTA OFFICIALS AS HOUSE PROBES MASSIVE SOCIAL SERVICES FRAUD Prosecutors must prove that citizenship was obtained illegally, and denaturalization convictions require a high burden of proof that can often take years to litigate. The scrutiny also comes as the Department of Health and Human Services moved Tuesday to freeze child care payments to Minnesota, citing alleged fraud involving daycare providers across the state. HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill said the state had “funneled millions of taxpayer dollars to fraudulent daycares” over the past decade, prompting the agency to halt payments while the matter is reviewed. DHS did not provide a timeline for the review or indicate whether any denaturalization cases are expected to move forward in the near future. Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this reporting.

SEE IT: Daycare center at heart of Minnesota fraud investigation fixes sign after viral mockery

SEE IT: Daycare center at heart of Minnesota fraud investigation fixes sign after viral mockery

The Minneapolis-area daycare, whose misspelled sign “Quality Learing Center” went viral after being reported on by YouTube journalist Nick Shirley in his investigation into rampant fraud in Minnesota, has now corrected the infamous sign. Shirley and another man approached a building labeled the Quality Learing Center (sic) in Minneapolis, with Shirley noting that “Learning” was misspelled on the daycare’s sign outside. The business appeared inactive during the visit despite receiving state childcare assistance funds. This led to allegations that the center is one of several participating in a widespread fraud scheme taking place in certain segments of Minnesota’s Somali community. To many critics, the misspelled sign was an illustration of the fraud openly taking place in Minnesota. Among the center’s critics was U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, who wrote on X that “One fraudulent business in Minnesota that misspelled ‘learning’ on its building received $1.9M this year while masquerading as a daycare.” ICE PROBES SUSPECTED MINNESOTA FRAUD SITES AS OFFICIALS FOLLOW POTENTIAL $9B MONEY TRAIL McMahon wrote, “There are not enough words to describe the breathtaking failure that has happened under the watch of [Gov. Tim Walz].” The center, however, has since pushed back on the allegations, saying it is innocent of any wrongdoing. Fox News photographed several individuals correcting the misspelled sign late on Monday night. Earlier on Monday, Ibrahim Ali, a man who identified himself as a manager at the Quality Learning Center, strongly denied any allegations of fraud at the facility. He told Fox News that the center is currently open and has never closed, contradicting statements made earlier today by officials with the Department of Children, Youth and Families that the center had closed earlier this month. UNEARTHED SURVEILLANCE EXPOSES HOW PARENTS WERE ALLEGEDLY INVOLVED IN MINNESOTA’S DAYCARE FRAUD SCHEME Ali also accused Shirley of visiting the facility before operating hours, which he says run from 2 to 10 p.m. Central Time, Monday through Thursday. He criticized Shirley, saying, “Are you trying to record that we’re doing fraud, or are you trying to put the Somali name and the fraud in the same sentence? That’s what really hurt us the last couple of days.” The manager blamed the misspelling on the individual who installed it, saying, “We mess up the sign, we pay somebody to do our sign, he incorrectly did it, we’re having him work on it. We paid him to correct the sign. He said it’ll be done by this week, so by the end of this week our sign will be fine.” WHISTLEBLOWER WARNS MASSIVE FRAUD IS HAPPENING IN OHIO SOMALI COMMUNITY, MINNESOTA ‘JUST TIP OF THE SPEAR’ The Quality Learning Center also recently made news for collecting 95 violations from the state human services agency between 2019 and 2023, according to St. Paul’s ABC affiliate. Such violations range from failure to keep hazardous items away from kids to the daycare not having any records for more than a dozen listed children, according to the outlet. Documentation reviewed by Fox News Digital showed the site’s current license does not expire until the end of 2026.

Shirley associate in viral video says he filed criminal complaint against Walz over daycare fraud allegations

Shirley associate in viral video says he filed criminal complaint against Walz over daycare fraud allegations

Independent journalist Nick Shirley and his researcher “David” returned to the Quality Learning Center in Minneapolis on Tuesday dressed in a sweatshirt emblazoned with “1-800 FRAUD,” following the release of his viral video alleging fraud at state-funded childcare facilities in Minnesota. At the site, David also told reporters he had filed a criminal complaint against Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz related to the alleged widespread fraud. In a post shared on X, Shirley and David are also shown during the visit standing outside the facility in matching sweatshirts. Shirley captioned the post, “WE OUT HERE LEARIN AND STOPPING FRAUD.” HHS CUTS OFF MINNESOTA CHILD CARE PAYMENTS OVER ALLEGED DAYCARE FRAUD SCHEME Both men’s sweatshirts also read “Quality ‘Learing’ Center,” a misspelling that mirrored the signage associated with the Minneapolis site central to fraud allegations. Shirley’s return visit came after the facility’s manager claimed his original video misrepresented the business by filming outside posted hours and falsely suggesting the center was inactive. State officials and a daycare manager on Monday denied allegations of fraud, disputing claims that the location was closed or improperly collecting taxpayer funds. VP DEBATE FOOTAGE OF WALZ TOUTING STATE SUPPORT FOR DAYCARES GOES VIRAL AMID MINNESOTA FRAUD ALLEGATIONS The allegations stem from Shirley’s viral video showing visits to multiple state daycare facilities. The Quality Learning Center appeared inactive at the time of Shirley’s filming despite receiving state childcare assistance money. Shirley’s video sparked widespread attention online as officials such as Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., Donald Trump Jr. and Elon Musk praised Shirley’s reporting, while others, including Walz, pushed back against it. Walz was already facing criticism as the scandal involved at least $1 billion lost to alleged social services fraud mostly tied to Minneapolis’ Somali community. STATE OFFICIALS AND DAYCARE MANAGER PUSH BACK ON VIRAL VIDEO FRAUD ALLEGATIONS IN MINNESOTA During Tuesday’s visit, David confirmed to reporters he had filed a criminal complaint against Walz related to the alleged fraud. “I filed a formal criminal complaint against Tim Walz for violating Minnesota Statute 3.971, Subdivision 9,” David said before confirming he had filed the complaint three to four weeks ago. “So there’s an investigation ongoing, and I think Tim’s going to have a bad day, and he deserves it, because he allowed this fraud.” “Because he wanted the voting block that the Somalis represent, because they all vote in a block, and it’s 100,000 150,000,” he added. “Who knows how many, but it’s so bad now that when we go to a facility, they’re already screaming, Nick Shirley, Nick Shirley, Nick Shirley!” Fox News Digital has reached out to Walz’s office for comment.

Mamdani taps controversial lawyer who defended al Qaeda terrorist for top role: ‘Powerful advocate’

Mamdani taps controversial lawyer who defended al Qaeda terrorist for top role: ‘Powerful advocate’

Socialist New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announced on Tuesday that he is appointing controversial lawyer Ramzi Kassem, who defended al Qaeda terrorist Ahmed al-Darbi in court, as the city’s top attorney. Mamdani, who will take office on Jan. 1, announced he was appointing Kassem as New York City’s chief counsel, the top legal role in the city. He also shared that he is appointing Steven Banks a self-proclaimed “social justice attorney” as corporation counsel and Helen Arteaga as deputy mayor for health and human services. Kassem’s record includes serving as a senior policy advisor for immigration on the White House Domestic Policy Council under former President Joe Biden. Kassem served as lead counsel in al-Darbi’s defense. In 2014, al-Darbi pled guilty before a U.S. military commission to conspiracy in connection with an al Qaeda terrorist plot to bomb the French oil tanker MV Limburg off the coast of Yemen. One civilian was killed in the attack and several others were injured. He was convicted of the crime in 2017 and was transferred by the Trump administration in 2018 to Saudi Arabia’s custody. FLASHBACK: INSIDE THE POLITICAL MOVEMENT THAT PUT A SOCIALIST IN CHARGE OF NEW YORK CITY “While it may not make him whole, my hope is that repatriation at least marks the end of injustice for Ahmed,” Kassem said at the time of the transfer, adding he had “16 long and painful years in captivity.” In 2025, Kassem represented anti-Israel activist and Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil who was arrested by ICE for his alleged role in leading antisemitic demonstrations on campus. Khalil has since been released, though his legal case is ongoing. Announcing the appointment, Mamdani said, “I will turn to Ramzi for his remarkable experience and his commitment to defending those too often abandoned by our legal system.” The mayor-elect said that “City Hall will be stronger with him in it, and our work of building a more prosperous city for all will have a powerful advocate.” AOC TO DELIVER OPENING REMARKS AT MAMDANI’S INAUGURATION, BERNIE SANDERS TO ADMINISTER OATH OF OFFICE “My sincere hope is that New Yorkers who have long felt on the margins of this city, the homeless veteran straining to survive, the patient searching for the care that they need, an immigrant trying to get by will feel that they now have leaders in their corner who understand their struggles and care to fight for them,” Mamdani went on, adding, “That is the city I want to build. The prosperity I intend to deliver and the leadership that has too long been lacking.” Kassem thanked Mamdani for the appointment, saying he considers it a “call of duty to serve the city that I’ve called home, the city that embraced me.” “I grew up in war-torn countries in the Middle East, authoritarian regimes, and New York City was really my first stable and permanent home,” said Kassem. “This is an opportunity for me to repay that debt. I’ve been trying to repay that debt ever since I came to this country, ever since I immigrated.” 20% OF NYC MAYOR-ELECT MAMDANI TRANSITION APPOINTEES HAVE ANTI-ZIONIST TIES: ADL Kassem is the founder of the Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility (CLEAR) law clinic, a project that, according to its website, has a mandate “to support Muslim and all other client, communities, and movements in the New York City area and beyond that are targeted by local, state, or federal government agencies under the guise of national security and counterterrorism.”