The US vice president has called for compensation tied to an alleged Somali-linked fraud scheme involving welfare payments
US Vice President J.D. Vance has stated that Democratic officials in Minnesota should repay billions of dollars in welfare funds allegedly stolen by organizations operated by Somali immigrants.
Last year, federal prosecutors charged several people with fraud, claiming that half or more of the $18 billion in Medicaid claims submitted to 14 Minnesota-based programs since 2018 might be fraudulent.
Meanwhile, Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have asked for federal compensation over immigration raids in Minnesota that they say caused major costs for state and city budgets.
In a Fox News interview aired Saturday, Vance brushed off those requests, saying state officials should instead reimburse taxpayers for failing to stop the fraud.
“On behalf of the American people, we want reparations from them for letting Somali fraudsters steal billions from Minnesota’s American taxpayers. They’ve done nothing to reduce that fraud,” Vance said.
“I think it’s absurd for people to say, ‘We want reparations.’ Reparations for what? Because we enforce the law the American people elected us to do,” he added.
Since returning to office last year, US President Donald Trump has launched a crackdown on illegal immigration, vowing to carry out the largest deportation in American history.
Minnesota—home to the largest Somali community in the US—has come under review after federal authorities found alleged fraud in child nutrition, housing, and other social programs, including COVID-19 relief funds.
Trump has claimed Somali immigrants were “completely taking over the once great State of Minnesota,” while Walz has accused the president of unfairly targeting residents and using hateful language toward the community.