President Donald Trump just dropped a policy bombshell that’s got Minnesota buzzing with debate.

On Friday, via his Truth Social platform, Trump declared the immediate end of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalis in Minnesota, pointing to massive welfare fraud and alleged ties to overseas terror groups as the driving force behind this seismic decision, Newsmax reported. 

This move didn’t come out of nowhere—it’s rooted in a damning report from City Journal released on Wednesday, claiming that millions in Minnesota welfare funds were siphoned off, largely by some within the Somali community, and funneled to dangerous actors abroad.

Shocking Allegations of Welfare Fund Diversion

According to the report, these stolen funds—potentially totaling hundreds of millions—were redirected through complex, clan-based money transfer systems known as "hawala," which are notoriously hard to track once the cash leaves American soil.

Prosecutors are calling this one of the biggest welfare fraud scandals in the state’s history, with losses cutting across multiple programs under the Department of Human Services.

Worse yet, the money allegedly ended up in the hands of al-Shabab, a terrorist group tied to al-Qaida, which is now considered the wealthiest branch of that network and has a brutal track record against U.S. citizens.

Trump’s Bold Move Sparks Controversy

Trump didn’t mince words when he announced the termination, slamming the state’s leadership for allowing what he sees as unchecked corruption.

“Minnesota, under Governor Waltz [Tim Walz], is a hub of fraudulent money laundering activity,” Trump posted on Truth Social, doubling down with a stark directive as President to end TPS for Somalis in the state effective immediately.

While his supporters may cheer this as a long-overdue crackdown, critics will likely argue it paints with too broad a brush—punishing an entire community for the actions of a few bad actors.

Fraud Schemes and Terror Links Exposed

The fraud’s scale is staggering, with six out of eight individuals charged in September in connection to the state’s Housing Stabilization Services program being of Somali descent, per a Department of Justice spokesperson.

Due to the rampant abuse, Minnesota was forced to shutter that housing program entirely by the end of October, signaling just how deep the rot had spread.

Adding fuel to the fire, the City Journal report alleges these funds didn’t just vanish—they were laundered to al-Shabab, a group responsible for more American deaths than any other al-Qaida affiliate.

Questions of Accountability Linger

Trump’s rhetoric has been fiery, claiming “Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State, and BILLIONS of Dollars are missing,” as he stated on Truth Social.

While the dollar figure may raise eyebrows for its sheer size, there’s no denying the documented losses are in the hundreds of millions, and that’s a bitter pill for any taxpayer to swallow.

Between the untraceable money transfers and a convicted al-Shabab operative’s recent plot for a major attack, the stakes couldn’t be higher—yet solutions must balance security with fairness to those uninvolved in any wrongdoing.