Before Minneapolis became a national flashpoint, before the protests and the nightly footage of chaos, something far more consequential was already underway: a sweeping fraud scandal involving billions of taxpayer dollars.
Federal investigators were digging into large-scale abuse of public programs, raising serious questions about who allowed it, how long it went on, and where the money went. These were not isolated mistakes or paperwork errors. They were allegations of systemic fraud involving federal funds and activity that crossed jurisdictions, the kind of case that requires federal investigation.
Because the alleged misconduct involved federal dollars and potential criminal networks operating across state lines, federal law enforcement had a responsibility to step in. That work was already in motion when events on the ground began to escalate.
Two people lost their lives during confrontations with federal officers. Those deaths were tragic, and ongoing investigations will determine exactly what occurred in those moments. But they do not erase the larger reality: Minnesota remains in the middle of a massive fraud investigation that has not been resolved and should not be abandoned.
What has been lost in the aftermath is focus. Chaos—much of which is highly organized, paid for, and planned—has clouded the fraud and corruption.
Recent polling shows Americans clearly reject chaos—blocked streets, threats, and disorder—and support the rule of law. The chaos in Minneapolis has clouded rather than clarified the truth.
And the havoc began because of billions in fraud. The scale of that fraud matters.
About 65% of Minnesotans say government fraud is “somewhat” or “very” widespread, according to polling conducted in July 2025, months before explosive allegations blew up on social media and all over the news in January.
Billions are still unaccounted for. Multiple federal investigations are ongoing. Serious questions about oversight, accountability, and failures of state systems have yet to be fully answered.
Federal law enforcement officers—sworn professionals tasked with enforcing laws passed by Congress—stepped in. Their mission does not change because it becomes uncomfortable or politically inconvenient.
“America First” policies are most effective when federal and local authorities are allowed to work together. We must expand lawful cooperation mechanisms like the 287(g) Program, which allows trained state and local officers to work directly with federal authorities on immigration enforcement. The Department of Homeland Security has massively expanded 287(g) agreements in President Donald Trump’s second term, but unfortunately, many state sanctuary policies prevent more agreements from being signed.
The consequences of those sanctuary policies couldn’t be clearer. Compare Minnesota mayhem to the Florida framework. In Florida, a 287(g) partnership and joint federal and local operation led to more than 10,000 arrests in just eight months, the largest joint immigration enforcement operation in Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s history.
When state and local governments choose not to cooperate with federal authorities, investigations become harder, risks increase, and outcomes worsen for everyone involved, as we have witnessed in Minneapolis. Federal officers are forced to operate with less support, less information, and fewer options, conditions that increase volatility rather than reduce it. But when local and federal law enforcement coordinate together, they can operate more efficiently and communities stay safer—by reducing disorder and by focusing on illegal immigrants involved in crimes.
Minnesota can and must handle two realities at once: restoring order in the streets and continuing to pursue accountability in one of the largest fraud scandals in the state’s history. The latter cannot be allowed to fade into the background simply because the moment has grown more volatile.
The fraud did not disappear. The questions did not go away. Accountability is still owed to Minnesotans.
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