The viral footage that exposed empty daycare sites in Minnesota has triggered a major federal crackdown, wide investigations, and a heated political fallout.
Nick Shirley’s video went viral after he documented numerous child care centers in Minnesota with empty rooms, no children, and groups of military-aged Somalis inside. One facility was reportedly burglarized and the thieves took administrative records, a startling detail that added fuel to public outrage. The footage forced attention on alleged misuse of taxpayer funds and pushed federal agencies into action.
These centers are accused of collecting millions in government dollars while providing little or no care. The Department of Health and Human Services stopped child care payments until problems are addressed, cutting off a major revenue stream tied to the claims. At the same time federal investigators from the FBI and DHS have begun raids to follow the money and shake loose the full scope of the alleged fraud.
Politically the fallout has been immediate, with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz withdrawing his bid for a third term amid the turmoil and criticism. That exit intensified scrutiny on state oversight and raised questions about why local authorities did not act sooner. From a Republican perspective, federal action was necessary because state mechanisms failed to stop what looks like organized theft of public funds.
The Trump administration has begun a massive deployment of hundreds of Department of Homeland Security agents to the Twin Cities area as it escalates its federal crackdown amid a widening fraud scandal in Minnesota, multiple law enforcement officials familiar with the plan told CBS News.
The crackdown could involve roughly 2,000 agents and officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s deportation branch and Homeland Security Investigations, the agency’s investigative arm tasked with fighting transnational crimes, the officials said. They requested anonymity to discuss operations that have not been publicly announced.
The plan is for the agents and officers to oversee a 30-day surge in operations in the Twin Cities area, making the region the first major target of the Trump administration’s expanded immigration crackdown in the new year, officials said. Agents deployed from Homeland Security Investigations are expected to probe alleged cases of fraud, building on last month’s inspection of dozens of sites in the Minneapolis area.
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The deployment, which began Sunday, represents one of the largest concentrations of DHS personnel in an American city in recent years. The move greatly expands the federal law enforcement footprint in Minnesota at a time of heightened political and community tension there.
State investigators had inspected some sites, but critics say they lacked the resources or will to dismantle large-scale schemes. Calls to centers that claim enrollment often reveal inconsistent stories, and a pattern of paperwork-heavy operations with few children showed up on cameras and in field checks. That pattern convinced federal officials to shift from oversight to a direct enforcement posture.
The media response has been mixed, with some outlets trying to contest parts of the reporting even as new facts kept emerging. Attempts to discredit the footage only amplified public skepticism about local investigations and the mainstream press. The impression among many is that political pressure and sensitivity slowed an honest accounting for too long.
Beyond DHS and the FBI, the Department of Labor has begun reviewing Minnesota’s Unemployment Insurance program for irregularities that could tie into the broader misuse of benefits and payroll systems. Multiple federal agencies moving in together signals a coordinated effort to close loopholes and hold operators accountable. That coordination is the kind of serious response citizens expected when millions in federal dollars are at risk.
This looks like a full-throated assault on what one official described as a felonious gravy train, and the federal mobilization suggests Washington sees systemic problems in the state. Deploying roughly 2,000 personnel for a 30-day surge shows the administration is treating the allegations as more than isolated incidents. From the GOP viewpoint, this is a win for law and order and for taxpayers who deserve transparency and enforcement.
There’s no room for sentimentality when federal funds vanish into shell operations and empty classrooms. Investigators will need records, audits, and on-the-ground checks to follow the money trail wherever it goes. This moment will test whether federal oversight can clean up corruption that state systems let fester and whether accountability will replace cover-ups and excuses.
