Stephen Miller identified as behind the targeting campaign against Somalis

Washington (Caasimada Online) – The new Chief of Staff, Stephen Miller, has pressured U.S. federal agencies to target the Somali community in Minnesota for corruption investigations and financial restrictions, according to The Washington Sun.

President Donald Trump appointed Miller as Chief of Staff on Friday, days after the Republican defeat in the midterm elections. Miller is expected to take over from Susie Wiles on Monday.

Minnesota is home to the largest Somali community in the U.S., estimated at 100,000 people. Most are American citizens, some born in the country and others who later acquired citizenship.

The Washington Sun obtained a recording of a call between Miller and administration officials in December 2025. In about 10 minutes, Miller requested information about fraud related to immigration, Minnesota, and the Somalis in that state nine times.

When an official raised a fraud investigation being conducted in Virginia, Miller responded, “I understand, but that is very far from Minneapolis,” implying that his focus is on the Somalis.

The newspaper reported that Miller's directives reached at least five federal agencies. Two administration officials told the newspaper that officials wanting a broad investigation into fraud were dismayed by Miller's focus on one community.

The spokesperson for the White House, Lauren Bis, told The Washington Sun that the Trump administration is conducting a nationwide campaign to combat the misappropriation of taxpayer funds.

Fraud Cases

In May, a federal court sentenced Aimee Bock, the founder of the organization Feeding Our Future, to 41 years and eight months in prison. Prosecutors stated that she led a scheme that misappropriated approximately $250 million intended for child nutrition during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The U.S. Department of Justice presented on October 30 cases against 13 individuals, some of whom were charged prior to the month, some found guilty, and others sentenced. The new charges were said to involve fraud estimated at $29.1 million.

Federal officials have removed some of the service providers from the Medicaid list as evidence of widespread fraud. The Minnesota Department of Human Services opposed this assessment on November 2, stating that a provider could be removed from the list due to missing documentation or an incomplete application.

Remittances and Services

According to The Washington Sun, Miller pressured the Department of Finance to investigate reports from Minnesota banks to determine if funds obtained through fraud were sent abroad.

In August, the department renewed an order to banks and remittance companies in Hennepin and Ramsey requesting additional information regarding foreign transfers reaching $3,000 or more. These two counties include Minneapolis and St. Paul. Some bank transactions were exempted from the order.

The ministry stated that the order facilitates the tracking of fraudulent funds. Somali businessmen told the newspaper that they are concerned that the order will tighten the sending of money that families send to their relatives abroad.

The federal administration announced in February that it would delay the disbursement of $259 million of Medicaid funding, which provides health insurance to low-income individuals and other eligible persons.

In July, the Department of Health and Human Services stated that it would delay the disbursement of $199 million while verifying documents for 14 types of services.

Minnesota stated that the federal agency managing Medicaid approved its fraud prevention plan in March, and on October 30 confirmed that the state had implemented the expected measures up to that time.

A federal court in February halted the disbursement of more than $10 billion intended for child care and family assistance in five states, including Minnesota.

Community Impact

The Trump administration added fraud cases as one of the reasons it based its immigration operation in Minnesota. During that operation, federal agents killed two American citizens, Renée Good and Alex Pretti, in January. The White House reduced the number of state agents deployed following the backlash from the killings.

As reported by The Washington Sun, mosques and child care centers in Minneapolis have increased security as the Somali community faced hostility.

Gregory Bovino, formerly a leader in the U.S. Border Patrol, told the newspaper that a large-scale deportation is needed to address the fraud.

Linda Miller, head of the Program Integrity Alliance and having worked for the U.S. Government Accountability Office for ten years, told the newspaper that fraud is a "much larger problem, widespread in the system." She rejected the notion of linking fraud to immigration.