Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced that officials from DHS Homeland Security Investigations are engaged in a significant investigation concerning child care services in Minneapolis.
Noem remarked, “Homeland Security Investigations @ICEGov is currently conducting an extensive investigation into child care and other rampant fraud on the ground in Minneapolis,” in a written statement.
This announcement followed a report by citizen journalist Nick Shirley, who claimed his team discovered a considerable scam in Minnesota. In a video shared online, Shirley mentioned visiting several child care centers that allegedly received millions in federal funding, although no children were present.
According to Breitbart News, one daycare center had a spelling mistake on its sign, with “learning” misspelled incorrectly.
Shirley reported his visit to the Quality Learning Center in South Minneapolis and noted that the sign’s miswriting was rather ironic, as “Learning” was spelled incorrectly.
While a citizen reporter approached the center, an unidentified woman shouted, “Don’t open it!” and mistakenly accused Shirley and his companion of being agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Reportedly, “two DHS employees” informed CBS News that DHS HSI officials plan to examine over 30 locations in Minneapolis on Monday.
Two DHS officials told CBS News that agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations division will inspect more than 30 sites in the city on Monday alone.
Noem and the DHS also shared videos of HSI officers assessing various locations, one of which seemed to be a designated smoking area.
In response to Shirley’s findings, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s office asserted that Walz has been actively working to combat fraud.
According to a spokesperson, “For years, the governor has worked to crack down on fraud and asked the state Legislature to grant him more authority to take decisive action. He has strengthened surveillance efforts, including specific investigations into these facilities, one of which has already been shut down.”
