OPINION:
Since Friday, independent journalist Nick Shirley has racked up more than 125 million views on X for his 42-minute video exposing what appears to be bogus Somali-run businesses propped up by state subsidies. His approach was simple. He visited the listed addresses to determine whether services were being provided.
Among the establishments he visited was a place with a sign on the exterior that reads, “Quality Learing Center.” The Minnesota Department of Human Services states that this Minneapolis-based day care provider holds a valid license and has received nearly $1.9 million from taxpayers this year.
When state inspectors visited the location in 2022, they observed multiple infractions, such as ranch dressing in an overly warm refrigerator and untrained staff offering improper infant care and leaving children unsupervised in an environment that failed to “keep hazardous items away from children.”
The official report lays it out. “On May 9 and 10, 2022, staff were unable to provide the first and last names for most of the children present.” The investigators said the Quality Learning Center didn’t have files on hand for the children supposedly being watched, meaning there may not have been a way for parents to be notified in the event of an emergency.
This was remedied when “An individual from another child care program but not affiliated with Quality Learning Center Inc., arrived at the center and gave the DHS licensors another bin that contained approximately 46 children’s files.”
Safety concerns abounded. “There was one ceiling title in the women’s bathroom, used by children, which had a large hole with crumbling edges, and another ceiling tile that was bulging and stained with a blackish green substance,” the report noted.
In 2024, the state reported that the Quality Learning Center “did not report a death, serious injury, fire or emergency as required.” After paying a few $200 fines and “documenting” fixes, the center had its operating license restored.
As Mr. Shirley explained on X, “It’s important that this fraud is exposed. I tried my best to just show the facts and make it transparent for everyone to see.” The attention generated should prompt an investigation into the widespread abuse of assistance programs.
That’s not likely at the state level. Mr. Walz plays the role of an enabler. “We’re providing $316 million in direct funding to boost pay for child care providers, all while building a stronger child care system for middle-class families,” he boasted in 2023.
The swindles are happening in the open, as meticulously documented in government reports. It says a lot that offenders can repeatedly violate the rules and still retain a permit, allowing funding to continue uninterrupted.
That’s why the White House must assume responsibility by cutting off federal aid until all ill-spent funds are fully recovered. Various teams from the Department of Homeland Security are descending on the area to take care of any illegal aliens who might benefit from these crimes.
On Monday, Attorney General Pam Bondi said 85 Somalis have been charged with participating in fraud rings so far, but the public won’t be satisfied until all those involved in this purported piracy are prosecuted and repatriated, as appropriate.
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