USA (Parliament Politics Magazine) January 10, 2026 – Rallies are set nationwide to protest the federal immigration agency’s actions following a Minneapolis woman’s fatal shooting by an ICE agent.
USDA secretary Brooke Rollins wrote a message to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on social media on Friday. In addition to citing investigations into possible fraud by nearby companies and nonprofits, the letter notified them of the administration’s decision.
“Despite a staggering, wide-reaching fraud scandal, your administrations refuse to provide basic information or take common sense measures to stop fraud. The Trump administration refuses to allow such fraud to continue,”
Rollins wrote.
Rollins asked Walz and Frey to provide USDA with a 30-day explanation of all government spending from January 20, 2025, to the present. She is also requiring that the same justification be given for all upcoming federal funds to the state.
“We’re communicating with state partners to understand the impacts of such a blanket cut to funding meant for residents most in need,”
Brian Feintech, a spokesperson for the city of Minneapolis, told the Guardian in a written statement in response to Rollins’ letter.
“What’s abundantly clear is that Minneapolis is the latest target of the Trump administration – willing to harm Americans in service to its perceived political gain.”
The USDA’s action is consistent with a federal ruling that says the Trump administration cannot block government financing for low-income family assistance programs like childcare subsidies.
Over the past year, the Trump administration has targeted Minnesota due to accusations of fraud, focusing on the Somali community in the state. According to federal prosecutors, up to $9 billion has been pilfered through various scams purportedly connected to the Somali community in the state.
In November 2025, Trump terminated the state’s legal protections for Somali immigration on the grounds that “Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State, and BILLIONS of Dollars are missing.” Return them to their original location.
Soon after, during a cabinet meeting, Trump launched a xenophobic tirade against both Somalis and Ilhan Omar, the US citizen and Somali congressman from Minnesota.
“They contribute nothing. I don’t want them in our country, I’ll be honest with you,”
the president said. He called Omar “garbage” and said “we’re going to go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country”.
The FBI’s director, Kash Patel, stated that a month later, in December 2025, the agency was allocating more personnel and investigative resources to “dismantle large-scale fraud schemes exploiting federal programs” in the state. In a case that resulted in 78 charges and 57 convictions, Patel claimed the agency had already disrupted a $250 million fraud operation that misappropriated federal food aid intended for needy children during the Covid outbreak.
Walz declared last week that he would not seek a third term as governor of Minnesota due to Trump and Republicans’ harsh criticism of his handling of the fraud. Walz admitted in his statement that the president and his political supporters had exploited the issue to further polarize the state.
“I won’t mince words here,”
Walz said.
“Donald Trump and his allies – in Washington, in St Paul and online – want to make our state a colder, meaner place.”
What evidence does the administration cite for the fraud allegations?
The Trump administration references the$ 300 million Feeding Our unborn reproach where 57 defendants( substantially Somali- American) were condemned for defrauding child nutrition programs as primary substantiation, alongside$ 430 million Paycheck Protection Program( PPP) fraud in Minneapolis- St. Paul and recent child care subvention irregularities flagged in state checkups.
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins stressed 186,000 departed individualities’ Social Security figures entering SNAP benefits and 500,000multi-state donors, though these decide from public estimates rather than Minnesota-specific data. A November USDA letter estimated$ 24 million daily lost to undetected fraud across 28 countries, projecting$ 9 billion periodic savings from tighter controls.
Civil prosecutors claim$ 9 billion boosted from social programs since 2018, including daycare centers and healthcare providers. Critics note judicial blocks on broader freezes for lack of state-specific evidence beyond literal cases, with Minnesota AG Keith Ellison pursuing injunctions.