President Donald Trump accused Somali-linked networks of stealing at least $19 billion in taxpayer funds and said his administration will halt payments and pursue deportations tied to fraud.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump on Sunday accused Somali-linked fraud networks of stealing at least $19 billion from taxpayers and pledged to cut off funding to programs in states he said were implicated, while also vowing deportations for those found responsible.
Speaking to reporters during an evening gaggle aboard Air Force One, Trump said Minnesota and the federal government had been heavily targeted. “Think of it: $19 billion at least the Somalis stole from Minnesota — and from the United States,” Trump said as he spoke with reporters and continued answering questions during the exchange.
Trump expanded on the allegation, asserting that the true figure could be significantly higher. “The Somalians are ripping off our country to the tune of — it looks like $19 billion but that’s only what they can find … It could be $50 billion, but the numbers are astronomical,” he said. He went on to describe Somalia as lacking functional institutions and accused those involved of exploiting American systems.
The president said individuals connected to fraud should be removed from the country. “What they are doing is they’re stealing money from the American taxpayer, and every one of them should be forced to leave this country,” Trump said, specifically naming Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar and calling her “one of the leaders of it.”
Trump said his administration would also halt payments to states he accused of facilitating or failing to prevent fraud. “We’re not going to pay it anymore,” he said. “We’re not going to pay them, and we’re not going to pay California, and we’re not going to pay Illinois with a big slob of a governor that they have.”
Ending alleged Somali-linked fraud is complicated, however, by the structure of government funding. Many of the programs at issue are funded through state legislatures and through Congress, where Democrats can block efforts to curb spending. While the federal government can deport non-citizens convicted of fraud relatively quickly, deporting naturalized citizens requires prosecutors to prove in court that citizenship was obtained fraudulently.
Trump’s remarks come as citizen journalists say they are investigating Somali-style taxpayer fraud by networks of Somali migrants in multiple states, while also tracking the flow of Somali-linked political donations into the Democratic Party’s fundraising apparatus.
The president has repeatedly highlighted what he calls Somali fraud, often tying it to the broader issue of migrants’ reliance on welfare. Supporters argue the focus energizes populist voters and attracts support from certain business donors.
Political strategists note, however, that such messaging carries risks. A sustained emphasis on fraud tied to overseas or diaspora communities may alienate swing voters who are more focused on immediate economic pressures such as housing costs, wages, and household expenses. Critics also point to concerns among white-collar voters about the impact of large-scale legal immigration, including the expansion of foreign H-1B workers, on domestic jobs and communities.
Trump’s advisers are mindful of past electoral lessons. In 2018, the president lost the midterm elections after focusing heavily on migrant caravans traveling from Mexico, an issue that some analysts said felt distant from the day-to-day concerns of many voters.
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