Brace yourself for a jaw-dropping revelation: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has announced rampant visa fraud in Minnesota that’s costing taxpayers dearly.
During a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, Noem exposed that half of all visa holders in Minnesota submitted fraudulent applications, while separate probes uncovered massive scams involving Somali immigrants and over $1 billion in misused taxpayer funds.
This isn’t just a paperwork glitch— it’s a systemic failure.
According to Noem, a recent two-week investigation by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) found that nearly half of at least 1,000 immigrant households visited were entangled in some form of immigration deception.
USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow detailed a laundry list of violations, including marriage scams, overstayed visas, fake employment claims, forged papers, and misuse of H1B and F1 visa programs.
It’s a bureaucratic mess that raises serious questions about oversight and accountability in Minnesota’s immigration processes.
Noem didn’t hold back in her assessment, suggesting this isn’t mere incompetence but possibly intentional negligence at the state level.
“You told me to look into Minnesota and their fraud on visas and their programs: 50% of them are fraudulent, which means that that wacko Gov. (Tim) Walz either is an idiot or he did it on purpose — and I think he’s both, sir,” Noem stated during the Cabinet meeting.
While her words are sharp, they reflect a growing frustration among conservatives about lax policies that seem to prioritize optics over security— a fair critique when billions are at stake.
Noem also claimed that those behind the fraudulent visa applications enrolled in government programs, siphoning off hundreds of billions in taxpayer dollars.
She vowed action, stating, “Those who submitted fraudulent visa applications signed up for government programs, took hundreds of billions of dollars from the taxpayers, and we’re going to remove them and get our money back.”
That’s a bold promise, and if delivered, it could restore some faith in a system that feels broken to many hardworking Americans.
Adding fuel to the fire, the U.S. House Oversight Committee and Treasury Department are investigating a separate fraud scheme involving Somali immigrants, allegedly defrauding over $1 billion through a COVID-era food relief program meant for schoolchildren in Minnesota.
Reports indicate that nonprofits, especially around Minneapolis, funneled taxpayer money to employees who splurged on luxury cars and real estate, with some funds reportedly tied to the Somali terrorist group al-Shabaab— a connection that’s deeply troubling and demands answers.
Federal authorities have already prosecuted 78 individuals and convicted 59 in the Feeding Our Future scandal, a nonprofit that pocketed at least $250 million in taxpayer funds, showing the scale of this betrayal of public trust.
Former Minneapolis Sheriff Rich Stanek weighed in, noting Minnesota’s historically hospitable stance may have blinded officials to these issues, a “Minnesota nice” attitude that’s charming until it costs billions.
Meanwhile, as investigations continue, the spotlight remains on state leadership to explain how such widespread fraud— whether in visas or relief programs— went unchecked for so long.
