Minnesota Daycare Fraud Scandal and Calls for Citizenship Revocation Amid Viral Investigations
State regulators conducted inspections at 10 daycare facilities in Minnesota over the past six months, prompted in part by viral videos that raised questions about the operations and licensing of these centers. The commissioner, Tikki Brown, stated that checks are ongoing following these videos. One such facility, the Quality Learning Center (License No. 1087038), reportedly received $1.9 million in FY2025 funding, though the center's sign was misspelled as "Quality Learing Center." Despite concerns, state officials said that none of the centers featured in the viral videos had their funding paused over fraud allegations. Two centers were closed, but the Quality Learning Center reportedly continued to operate. The center's manager, Ibrahim Ali, described the media coverage as dishonest, emphasized that the center had operated for eight and a half years without closure, and noted plans for the sign to be corrected by a vendor. Though the center reported plans to close on December 19, officials later said it remained open as of December 29–30. Overnight, Minnesota's Licensing Information Lookup website crashed and was down for several hours before service was restored. Federal authorities have launched a massive investigation into daycare fraud in the state, which is part of broader fraud schemes targeting government benefit programs, including daycare, medical, and food assistance. Investigators estimate these schemes could total up to $9 billion.
Amid these developments, House Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer has urged the deportation of Somali individuals involved in the fraud and called for revocation of citizenship for naturalized citizens implicated in such schemes. Emmer stated that those residing illegally should be immediately deported and advocated for legal changes to revoke citizenship for naturalized immigrants tied to fraudulent activities. He claimed that about 90% of those charged in the investigations have Somali backgrounds. Additionally, reports from City Journal indicated that some fraud proceeds may have funded the terrorist group Al-Shabaab. Emmer specifically pushed for the revocation of citizenship for naturalized Somalis with undisclosed ties to terrorist organizations or involved in marriage fraud. Currently, birthright citizens' citizenship cannot be revoked, whereas naturalized citizens face revocation only under narrow circumstances such as misrepresentation or concealing criminal history. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a case in spring 2026 addressing the constitutionality of a Trump executive order excluding children born to parents with temporary or unlawful status from citizenship.
