The growing Somali fraud scandal that plagues Minnesota does not just fall on the shoulders of state officials like Gov. Tim Walz, who provided hundreds of millions of dollars in funds to programs described as “grifts.” It also falls on the shoulders of the congresswoman who represents the district where the fraud exists, US Rep. Ilhan Omar. 

Somali herself, Omar, who immigrated to the US when she was 12, was first elected to the Minnesota State House in 2017, and then to Congress representing the 5th District in 2019.

The 5th District has one of the largest concentrations of Somali Americans. But despite her national affinities, Omar’s responsibility as a member of Congress belongs to all of the district’s residents, especially to the non-Somali taxpayers whose tax dollars have been stolen by scammers. 

That does not seem to be the case.

Last year, President Donald Trump ordered an investigation of the long-made allegations that many programs that relied on federal funding, such as child care and food programs for seniors and the poor, were being ripped off, including by Somali business people.

Instead of investigating the multiple fraud allegations, Omar chose to join in weaponizing the allegations in a political battle against Trump, accusing him of bigotry. 

But Trump did not launch the original Somali fraud investigations. These were launched by his predecessor, Joe Biden, who opened the first investigation in June 2024, focusing on her finances, campaign spending, and interactions with controversial foreign citizens.

Trump expanded the probes, and Omar, Walz, and other state Democrats confronted the president, claiming the allegations were political hyperbole designed to undermine their authority. And they immediately tied it into their battle to protect illegal aliens who had settled into Minnesota’s sanctuary environment.

The back-and-forth turned into typical American political name-calling, with Trump calling Omar “garbage,” and Walz accusing Trump of “vile, racist lies.”

The politics is a legitimate one to address. During the administration of President Barack Obama, there was a forceful effort to confront non-citizen aliens who entered the country illegally, thus the term “illegal aliens.”

Trump continued the policy during his first term, but that was brought to a near halt when he lost to Biden. Border policy changes allowed not only those who legitimately were seeking refuge to enter the US, but also criminals who view the country as an easy target for their criminal profiteering.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform produced a study earlier this year that showed a surge in crimes in 2024 and the first half of 2025, calling it a “a scathing indictment of irresponsible and reckless open-borders policies” by the Biden administration that Trump has sought to reverse.

Investigations show that much of the rampant fraud in Minnesota involves Somalis, who receive protection by virtue of Omar’s elected office as the nation’s first Somali Congress member.

FAIR has described the crime wave as “the biggest fraud scheme in the United States,” noting that this “massive criminal enterprise was perpetrated by members of the Somali community in Minnesota” who established their base there because of Omar’s political influence.

The organization’s officials concluded that no one in Minnesota’s Democratic government establishment wants “to pursue the obvious indicators of massive fraud amongst the Somali migrant community because that community was a source of both political contributions and votes. Political machines holding power are rarely willing to bite the hand that feeds them.”

Many of those illegal aliens entering the country were Somalis, who sought refuge in Minnesota under Omar’s political wings — with many using the state as a base for criminal profits.

Some cases involve individuals allegedly defrauding programs like food assistance or unemployment benefits. Others involve fraudulent claims submitted to health insurance programs and Medicaid, housing stabilization, and charities, including those involved in mental health.

On top of the fraud is a growing wave of identity theft where personal information is used to steal benefits.

At least 98 people have been charged in connection with these fraud schemes. Of those charged, 85 were identified as Somali Americans, indicating a significant representation in these cases

As of late 2025, 60 people have been convicted, reflecting a substantial number of guilty pleas and verdicts stemming from the investigations, and affirming the argument that the “Somali fraud” allegations are less about politics and more about protecting American taxpayers. 

But instead of addressing the fraud, Omar has chosen to defend the perpetrators, merging them into the broader needs of the Somali community. Minnesota has the largest Somali population in the US, about 260,000 people. Of that, almost half live in Minnesota, with others living in Ohio, Washington state, and California, where allegations of fraud are also surfacing. A significant portion, about 50,000, live in Hennepin County which is in Omar’s 5th Congressional District.

As a member of Congress, who happens to be of Somali heritage, Omar has a responsibility to serve the interests of the American people first.

Instead of engaging in politics, as the only Somali official in the country, Omar should have taken the lead to weed out the criminals from her own community.

Clearly those Somalis engaged in the fraud represent a small percentage of the community. Why not draw a line between them and the law-abiding Somalis in Minnesota, rather than lumping them both together in a defense driven by partisan politics?

Members of Congress, like all elected officials in the US, are elected to serve and represent the interests of the people.

But ever since Omar was elected as a member of Congress, she has chosen to view the allegations of crime in an ethnically personal way.

One accusation focuses on the wealth she and her husband, Tim Mynett, have accumulated. Omar came into office complaining about tens of thousands in student loan debts. Today, the couple are worth millions, with critics saying her presence has helped boost the value of his company, Rose Lake Capital.

Omar has a simple choice: Focus on addressing the fraud that plagues her constituents, or continue to brush the issue aside by exploiting partisan politics.

© Eurasia Review