The Trump administration is sending around 2,000 federal agents to Minnesota, stepping up immigration enforcement in the Minneapolis–St Paul area after a renewed political storm over alleged welfare and childcare fraud, officials said.
According to two law enforcement sources cited by CNN, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and US Border Patrol agents are being deployed to Minneapolis.
US Customs and Border Protection Commander Gregory Bovino is also expected to arrive.
The Department of Homeland Security said the increased presence is already under way.
“While for the safety of our officers we do not get into law enforcement footprint, DHS (Department of Homeland Security) has surged law enforcement and has already made more than 1,000 arrests of murderers, rapists, pedophiles, and gang members,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told CNN.
Federal officials said the expanded presence is already underway.
The latest controversy flared late last month after a video by conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley went viral, alleging fraud at Somali-run child care centres. State officials later rejected those claims, saying inspections found the facilities were operating properly.
The episode has fuelled political tensions and revived President Donald Trump’s harsh rhetoric about Minnesota’s Somali community, drawing warnings from civil rights groups about rising stigma and fear.
“Each time, the same pattern emerges: isolate a case, generalise it to an entire group, and use fear to legitimise discrimination,” said Jaylani Hussein, executive director of CAIR-Minnesota.
