DHS sends fraud agents door-to-door in Burnsville
The Department of Homeland Security sent agents door-to-door in Burnsville to visit suspected fraud sites. Reporting links the visits to political and media fallout from a viral child-care fraud video promoted by Minnesota Republicans, which reportedly spurred FBI Director Kash Patel to intensify the fraud investigation.
📌 Key Facts
- FOX 9 reports that DHS agents conducted door-to-door visits in Burnsville to investigate suspected fraud sites.
- The story links those Burnsville visits to a public announcement about “door-to-door” visits made by Kristi Noem.
- FOX 9 says a viral video by a YouTuber named Shirley — produced with help from the Minnesota GOP — generated political and media fallout that helped prompt the announcement.
- According to FOX 9, the viral video also helped prompt FBI Director Kash Patel to intensify the fraud investigation, which provides additional context for the Burnsville visits.
- FOX 9 frames the Burnsville door-to-door operations as part of a broader, politically charged fraud investigation driven in part by the viral video and GOP collaboration.
📊 Relevant Data
31.2 percent of Somali Minnesotans receive food stamps/SNAP benefits, compared to lower rates in the general population.
Latest Data on Somali Minnesotans 2024 — Empowering Strategies
The percentage of Somali population in Burnsville, Minnesota, is 2.08% as of 2025.
Percentage of Somali Population in Burnsville by Zip Code in 2025 — Zip Atlas
In a 2025 child care fraud case, defendants charged with fraud schemes targeted families to obtain children with autism diagnoses and individual treatment plans to facilitate billing for unprovided services.
Six Additional Defendants Charged, One Defendant Pleads Guilty in Ongoing Fraud Schemes — U.S. Department of Justice
The freezing of federal child care payments to Minnesota in 2025 has left child care providers uncertain about operations and could lead to confusion for parents and potential system stress.
Minnesota child care aid freeze amid fraud probe leaves centers, parents confused — MPR News
Approximately 107,000 people of Somali descent lived in Minnesota in 2024, representing about 2% of the state's total population.
By the numbers: Minnesota's Somali population, according to Census data — KTTC
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- The FOX 9 piece connects DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s announcement of "door-to-door" visits at suspected fraud sites directly to the political and media fallout from Shirley’s viral fraud video and the GOP’s collaboration.
- It emphasizes that the viral video helped prompt FBI Director Kash Patel to intensify the fraud investigation, providing additional context to DHS’s Burnsville visits and broader operations.