Photo: Shane T. McCoy | Public domain | Wikimedia Commons
FBI, DHS Lead New Minnesota Raids In Ongoing Childcare And Food-Aid Fraud Probe
The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations executed court-authorized search warrants at about 20 childcare centers across Minneapolis on Tuesday, April 28, 2026. The raids targeted alleged fraud in childcare and publicly funded nutrition-aid programs.
Federal agents began executing warrants around 6 a.m. local time, officials said.[1] described the actions as criminal search-warrant operations tied to "rampant fraud of U.S. taxpayers' dollars." Officials said the operation was court-authorized and was not immigration-related.[2] later rebuked Minnesota's governor for claiming state agencies led the activity.
The raids follow a federal probe into alleged abuse of children's social programs that began under the Biden administration. Since 2021, 92 people were charged and 67 convicted in related Minnesota COVID-era fraud schemes, and five guilty pleas came in March in the Feeding Our Future case. A December video by influencer Nick Shirley amplified accusations against Somali-run centers, but inspectors later found Shirley's specific daycare-fraud claims were not supported.
Early political reaction cast the raids as a crackdown on "Somali fraudsters," a line pressed by House Majority Whip Tom Emmer. Subsequent reporting emphasized the probe's federal origins and noted that discredited influencer claims helped refocus attention on the facilities, shifting some coverage toward the investigation's provenance and its broader consequences.
DHS vowed that "no stone will be left unturned," while federal officials said the work is focused on alleged taxpayer fraud and the investigation remains active.
Show source details & analysis (6 sources)
📌 Key Facts
- Federal agents executed roughly 20 to 22 court‑authorized search warrants at childcare centers in Minneapolis on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, beginning around 6 a.m. local time; the activity was reported as coordinated across multiple sites childcare centers in Minneapolis.
- The operation was led by the FBI and described by a Justice Department spokesperson as 'court‑authorized law enforcement activity' carried out jointly with DHS, state, and local law enforcement as part of an ongoing fraud investigation Justice Department spokesperson.
- Named locations searched included Quality Learning Center, Baby Halimo Child Care, and Mini Childcare Center, among other largely Somali‑owned childcare and related businesses in Minneapolis Mini Childcare Center.
- Authorities say the raids target alleged fraud in publicly funded child‑care and children's food programs, part of broader COVID‑era schemes; CBS reports that since 2021 some 92 people have been charged and 67 convicted in related Minnesota cases 92 people charged and 67 convicted.
- DOJ stressed the operation is 'not immigration‑related,' and on April 28, 2026 FBI Director Kash Patel publicly disputed Gov. Tim Walz's suggestion that the state drove the raids, saying the FBI, DOJ and DHS 'drafted and executed every search warrant today' Kash Patel.
- Homeland Security Investigations characterized the Minneapolis actions as execution of criminal search warrants tied to 'rampant fraud of U.S. taxpayers' dollars,' while DHS said 'no stone will be left unturned' in determining how taxpayer funds were abused Homeland Security Investigations.
- A viral December video by influencer Nick Shirley accusing Somali‑run childcare centers of subsidy fraud helped spur federal attention, though inspectors later disputed the video's specific daycare‑fraud claims, and the episode has produced significant political fallout in Minnesota Nick Shirley.
- Witnesses and local TV reported armed agents at several sites — including at least one team with a battering ram — and CBS observed about a dozen agents at Mini Childcare Center, one carrying a large portable file case during the April 28 actions Mini Childcare Center.
📰 Source Timeline (6)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
April 28, 2026
8:04 PM
Patel turns tables on Walz in response to viral tweet on Minnesota fraud raids: 'Come again?'
New information:
- On Tuesday, April 28, 2026, FBI Director Kash Patel publicly rebuked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on X after Walz claimed state agencies' reporting led to that day's Minneapolis fraud raids.
- Patel wrote that the FBI, DOJ and DHS 'drafted and executed every search warrant today,' directly disputing Walz's implication that the state drove the operation.
- The article reiterates that federal authorities executed 22 federal search warrants at largely Somali-owned childcare and related businesses in Minneapolis on the morning of April 28, 2026, and DOJ stressed the operation is 'not immigration-related.'
- The piece documents partisan reaction online, including statements from the House Oversight Committee, Sen. Rand Paul, and Rep. Derrick Van Orden criticizing Walz for taking credit.
- The city of Minneapolis posted on X that it was not involved in the raids, a point that social media users cited while criticizing Walz.
5:32 PM
Federal agents serve search warrants in Minnesota fraud probe
New information:
- On Tuesday, April 28, 2026, federal agents executed multiple new search warrants in Minnesota in an ongoing Trump administration fraud investigation of publicly funded social programs for children.
- Armed agents were seen at childcare centers around Minneapolis, and local TV reported at least one team carrying a battering ram.
- Gov. Tim Walz publicly welcomed the raids and said Minnesota's child welfare agency had shared key information with law enforcement, calling joint investigations essential to 'securing justice.'
- DHS issued a statement saying 'no stone will be left unturned' and that 'the American people deserve to know how their taxpayer money was abused.'
- The article ties Tuesday’s searches to an investigation that began under the Biden administration into fraud in children's food programs, which has already produced more than 60 convictions.
- Attorney Jason Steck said the list of targeted businesses he saw showed they are run by Somali immigrants and include childcare centers, autism centers, and healthcare agencies, describing the action as a 'particular sweep for fraud.'
- The story notes that a December video by right-wing influencer Nick Shirley, accusing Somali-run childcare centers of subsidy fraud, helped spur federal attention but that inspectors later disproved his specific daycare-fraud claims.
- The article adds that in February Vice President JD Vance ordered a temporary halt of $243 million in Medicaid funding to Minnesota over fraud concerns, leading Minnesota to sue after warning of potential cuts to low‑income health care; a judge on April 6 declined to issue a restraining order.
- The piece situates the raids amid a recent 'extraordinary immigration crackdown' in Minnesota tied to Trump administration actions that led to two deaths before operations were eased in February, and reports President Trump has used dehumanizing language about Somali immigrants.
4:00 PM
Emmer says MN fraud raids send ‘crystal clear’ message after feds hit dozens of sites
New information:
- On Tuesday morning, April 28, 2026, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer said FBI and Homeland Security Investigations agents raided 22 alleged fraud sites in Minneapolis.
- The new report names two specific locations searched: Quality Learning Center and Baby Halimo Child Care in Minneapolis.
- DOJ and DHS confirmed that the April 28 raids were court-authorized search-warrant operations conducted jointly with federal, state, and local law enforcement.
- Homeland Security Investigations described the Minneapolis actions as executing criminal search warrants tied to "rampant fraud of U.S. taxpayers' dollars."
- Vice President JD Vance, serving as the administration's "fraud czar," publicly praised the task force and DOJ, saying they "will be relentless in exposing these fraudsters wherever they may be hiding."
- Tom Emmer framed the operation as a crackdown on "Somali fraudsters" and linked it to what he described as the Trump administration's zero-tolerance stance on waste, fraud, and abuse in social programs.
3:14 PM
FBI raids about 20 childcare centers in Minneapolis over alleged fraud, officials say
New information:
- CBS reports that, as of Tuesday, April 28, 2026, federal agents executed search warrants at about 20 childcare centers in Minneapolis over alleged fraud.
- The CBS video piece confirms the FBI is leading the coordinated operation and characterizes the activity as tied to fraud allegations involving childcare centers.
- The segment timestamps the law-enforcement activity as having been carried out Tuesday morning, April 28, 2026.
12:45 PM
Federal agents return to Minneapolis to target daycares for suspected fraud
New information:
- On Tuesday, April 28, 2026, federal agents executed search warrants at about 20 childcare centers in Minneapolis, beginning around 6 a.m. local time.
- A Justice Department spokesperson confirmed the activity as 'court-authorized law enforcement activity as part of an ongoing fraud investigation' involving FBI and federal, state, and local law enforcement.
- Since 2021, 92 people have been charged and 67 convicted in related Minnesota COVID-era fraud schemes, including five guilty pleas in March 2026 in the Feeding Our Future nutrition-program scandal.
- CBS News Minnesota observed about a dozen agents operating at Mini Childcare Center in South Minneapolis, including an agent carrying a large portable file case inside.
- Mini Childcare Center was featured in a viral December video by YouTuber Nick Shirley targeting Somali-owned daycares and clinics, which was amplified by Elon Musk, Vice President J.D. Vance, and then–Attorney General Pam Bondi.
- Political fallout from the earlier fraud focus included Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz ending his reelection campaign on Jan. 5 and appointing a 'fraud czar' for social programs, followed by Operation Metro Surge, when more than 2,000 CBP and ICE agents deployed and arrested roughly 3,700 immigrants, most not Somali and not tied to fraud, and two Americans, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were shot and killed.