Child Care and Federal Subsidies

An Associated Press investigation finds Somali‑owned child care centers in Minneapolis and other U.S. cities are facing harassment and safety fears after a viral Nick Shirley video accusing Minneapolis Somali providers of running 'fake' day cares for subsidy fraud drew the attention of the Trump White House. Inspectors later disproved the central claim that centers were billing for children they did not care for, but the administration nonetheless tried to freeze child‑care funding to Minnesota and five other Democratic‑led states until a court ordered the money released. In the meantime, providers in Minneapolis, San Diego, Federal Way, Washington, and Columbus, Ohio report right‑wing influencers and self‑styled journalists staking out their homes and centers, strangers filming through windows and doors, and drive‑by taunts calling them 'fake day care,' forcing some to adopt new lockdown procedures, close blinds and invest in cameras. The campaign builds on Trump’s long‑running attacks on Somali immigrants — including calling them 'garbage' and suggesting Rep. Ilhan Omar should be deported — and on a separate, years‑old $300 million food‑aid fraud case in Minnesota involving some Somali Americans that he has used to justify broad allegations of community‑wide theft. For families relying on these licensed centers, especially in Minneapolis where ICE raids and mass deportation operations are already stoking fear, the targeting raises alarms about both child safety and the chilling effect of politicized fraud crusades that outpace the facts.