A daycare operated by a Somali community in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has reported a break-in where significant documents were stolen, including child registration data, employee records, and checkbooks.
Nasrullah Mohamed, the 20-year-old manager of the Nokomis Day Care Center, stated that the incident occurred on Tuesday. Reports indicate that the intruders accessed the building through the kitchen at the rear and then broke through a wall to enter the business.
Mohamed attributed this incident to a viral video by citizen journalist Nick Shirley, which alleged fraud at numerous daycare centers in Minnesota.
“This is shocking news,” he remarked. “One video made by one individual caused all of this. I don’t understand why it would target our Somali community.” He also mentioned that the daycare has received various “hateful” and “threatening” messages recently.
“This is horrifying and exhausting,” he added, calling Shirley’s report “false.”
Interestingly, Nokomis Day Care Center was not among those featured in Shirley’s widely viewed video, which has reached over 132 million views on X.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which has connections to Hamas and is recognized as a terrorist organization by several nations, quickly defended the daycare in a statement released on Wednesday.
“This alarming incident raises serious concerns about the real-world effects of anti-Somali, anti-immigrant, and anti-Muslim hate speech circulating online,” said Jailani Hussein, Executive Director of CAIR Minnesota Chapter. “When misinformation and dehumanizing rhetoric spread without check, threats and vandalism become more prevalent. Even though this daycare wasn’t mentioned in the viral video, it still became a target. This raises significant questions about possible bias in the vandalism, and we believe law enforcement should investigate thoroughly.”
Minneapolis police reported that the daycare notified authorities of the break-in on the morning of December 30, indicating that the facility had been breached overnight while closed. Staff discovered that items were missing when they responded on Wednesday morning.
This incident occurs amid revelations of over $1 billion in fraud in Minneapolis, involving fraudulent food, housing, and child support payments. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has cautioned that the total could escalate to $9 billion. So far, 92 individuals have been arrested in connection with this fraud scheme, with 80 being Somali immigrants.
Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services announced on Tuesday that it would suspend all child care payments to Minnesota, totaling $185 million for 2025, until state officials can prove that these payments are legitimate.
