Minnesota Democrats demand reparations from ICE after losing $18 billion to Somali fraud

Top Minnesota Democrats are demanding the federal government “pay for what they broke” following weeks of DHS’ immigration enforcement surge — a demand that comes after fraudsters stole as much as $18 billion from taxpayers who funded the state’s social services programs under their watch.

Embattled Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey both made public overtures to the feds for reimbursement for usage of state and city resources and recouping of other alleged damages.

“The federal government needs to pay for what they broke here. There [is] going to be accountability on the things that happened, but one of the things is the incredible and immense costs that were borne by the people of this state,” Walz recently said.

The federal government needs to be responsible. You don’t get to break things and then just leave without doing something about it,” he said, adding that he will be asking Minnesota’s congressional delegation to be “doing the things necessary” — apparently for reimbursement claims.

Frey estimated economic and financial costs to his city to top $203 million, telling Minnesota Public Radio he would like to see the state and federal governments help pay.

“I’m not naive to think that we’re going to get the entire amount,” Frey said, adding that about 76,000 Minneapolis residents require relief in some form or another.