Minnesota Fraud Scandal Raises Questions Over Citizenship Revocation
A major fraud scandal in Minnesota involving daycare, Medicaid, and social services now points to potentially billions of dollars in suspicious billing practices. This investigation has led to renewed discussions about the denaturalization of naturalized U.S. citizens who may have obtained citizenship through fraud.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the State Department are currently reviewing citizenship cases connected to the Minnesota probe. Their focus is on individuals of Somali origin and others from 19 countries of concern. The review aims to determine if any naturalized citizens obtained their status by misrepresenting facts during immigration or naturalization, which could justify revoking their citizenship. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed these agencies are evaluating whether citizenship could be revoked in relevant cases tied to the fraud investigation.
Federal prosecutors revealed that the probe has expanded to cover 14 Medicaid-funded programs, with billing reaching about $18 billion since 2018. Preliminary assessments suggest that half or more of this amount could be fraudulent. This scandal follows earlier Minnesota benefit-fraud cases, including a pandemic-era food aid fraud scheme allegedly involving losses around $250 million, which exposed significant oversight weaknesses.
Central to the investigation is the Quality Learning Center, a daycare facility implicated in fraud allegations. While the center's manager Ibrahim Ali denies any wrongdoing, investigative journalist Nick Shirley has reported findings that contradict those claims.
Denaturalization itself is legally constrained, requiring individualized civil court proceedings, and historically it has been applied sparingly. The current probe highlights the complexities surrounding fraud in public benefit programs and the potential immigration consequences for those involved.
