The Somali migrants who are involved in the widespread fraud of government welfare programs could have their citizenship stripped as a result.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt suggested that the Trump administration is looking into denaturalization for those who participated in the schemes. During an appearance on Fox & Friends, Leavitt said the Departments of Homeland Security and State are “looking at” making the move.
“We know that there are liberal activist judges across the country who will try to block and tackle this administration from pursuing justice at every turn,” Leavitt said. “But that's not going to stop the President and his entire cabinet by acting on behalf of law-abiding, tax-paying citizens in the state of Minnesota and in states across the country who have been ripped off by people who abused our immigration system, came to our country, do not love our country or respect our values, and now have been ripping off and stealing money from law-abiding Americans.”
This administration is not going to tolerate it. Again, this is a whole of government effort. We've surged resources. As you pointed out, the Department of Justice has already charged and prosecuted nearly 100 people. In fact, the buildings and some of the sites that Nick Shirley exposed in that video are under current investigation by the Department of Justice. One of those sites, the Midway Building, resulted in 13 defendants already being charged earlier this year under the leadership of our attorney general and President Trump.
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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says the Trump administration will seek to denaturalize Somali immigrants who became citizens if they were involved in the schemes to defraud government welfare programs.
— Jeff Charles, Asker of Questions🏴 (@jeffcharlesjr) December 31, 2025
"This administration is not going to tolerate it."
The… pic.twitter.com/0jGaldOqfa
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaugllin told The Hill that “if an individual procures citizenship on a fraudulent basis, that is grounds for denaturalization.”
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told the Hill on Wednesday that “under U.S. law, if an individual procures citizenship on a fraudulent basis, that is grounds for denaturalization.”
More than 240,000 people of Somali descent lived in the U.S. as of 2024, including more than 100,000 in Minnesota, according to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
Somalis in Minnesota have been at the center of a fraud scheme.
Of the 98 people charged by the Department of Justice in its sweeping fraud probe dating to 2022, 85 are of Somali descent. The convicted ringleader of the Feeding our Future fraud scheme, Aimee Bock, is white.
Denaturalization can only happen if a federal court determines that someone either lied on their citizenship application, hid important information, or wasn’t actually eligible to become a citizen in the first place. The White House will audit immigration cases involving the Somalis suspected of participating in the schemes.
However, under current federal law, the government cannot denaturalize a citizen solely for crimes committed after they were naturalized.
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