Federal agents raid 22 Minneapolis businesses in massive fraud investigation
Federal agents are currently executing raids on 22 businesses in Minneapolis, Minnesota as part of a significant fraud investigation. This operation stems from Nick Shirley’s viral YouTube video, which, back in December, raised allegations of childcare funding fraud. Previously, the Trump administration had frozen childcare funding and mandated comprehensive audits of certain childcare centers.
A 29-year-old woman from Texas is in custody facing federal fraud charges for allegedly impersonating an immigration official in a multi-year visa fraud scheme. Mayra Collins, who lives in Brownsville—located at Texas’s southern tip—faces several serious allegations, including five counts of fraudulently posing as a federal employee across various agencies between 2022 and 2025, as announced by Acting U.S. Attorney John Mark.
Local news outlets report that Collins is charged with two counts of wire fraud and three charges of impersonating a federal agent. The Justice Department suspects that Collins claimed to be a federal immigration officer and collected money from four victims under the false pretense of expediting their U.S. visas. In 2025, she also allegedly impersonated a Border Patrol agent during a recruitment scheme, suggesting to one victim that she had a job offer but needed funds for uniforms and equipment first.
The Justice Department made clear that Collins has “never worked for the United States” and had no authorization to provide visas or employment to those under the Border Patrol program. She faces a potential sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison for the wire fraud counts, along with an additional three years for identity theft and a fine that could reach $250,000.
Collins is set to appear before Federal Judge Julie Hampton this Thursday. Lora Reese, an expert on immigration policy at the Heritage Foundation, highlighted how unnecessarily complicated immigration laws and a fragmented bureaucratic system across five federal departments provide fertile ground for fraud. In her view, Democrats have played a role in fostering conditions that enable illegal immigration.
This news coincides with a bigger investigation by the Department of Justice and Homeland Security into a widespread fraud scheme particularly affecting Minnesota’s Somali immigrant community. Authorities raided 22 sites on Tuesday morning, focusing on businesses predominantly owned by individuals from the community, including childcare facilities that allegedly charged for services that were never actually rendered.
Following these raids, Vice President J.D. Vance, who leads the government’s fraud task force, stated that the task force and the Department of Justice would fiercely pursue any fraud perpetrators wherever they may be found. Commenting on Minnesota’s efforts against fraud, Reese expressed satisfaction with the ongoing pursuit of justice, emphasizing the need for significant penalties to effectively deter future fraud offenses.
