{"id":504803,"date":"2026-01-09T23:21:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T23:21:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/504803\/"},"modified":"2026-01-09T23:21:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T23:21:13","slug":"heres-whats-really-happening-with-child-care-fraud-in-minnesota","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/504803\/","title":{"rendered":"Here’s what’s really happening with child care fraud in Minnesota"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Published<\/p>\n

2026-01-09 12:50<\/p>\n

12:50<\/p>\n

January 9, 2026<\/p>\n

pm<\/p>\n

America\/Chicago<\/p>\n

A viral video posted just after Christmas spurred an avalanche of news coverage, changes from the Trump administration, and congressional hearings that appeared to indicate that a massive trove of child care fraud was just uncovered in Minnesota.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Much of it has been misleading.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The video<\/a> by right-wing YouTuber Nick Shirley posted on December 26 purports to show that various Minneapolis day cares run by Somali Americans are not providing services to children despite receiving public funding. Although the video has already been debunked by investigators, the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress have seized on it. Vice President JD Vance said<\/a> Shirley \u201chas done far more useful journalism than any of the winners of the 2024 [Pulitzer Prizes].\u201d<\/p>\n

The fallout has been massive. In the past week, the Trump administration has frozen child care payments to five Democratic-run states and ramped up reporting requirements<\/a> for all states receiving child care funds to cover services for the lowest-income kids. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, has suspended his reelection campaign<\/a> over it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the real story behind child care fraud in Minnesota is far less nefarious.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what we actually know about child care fraud in Minnesota and elsewhere, and how day cares and families may be impacted by the new changes.<\/p>\n

What does Nick Shirley uncover in his video?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nothing conclusive. The video shows Shirley visiting day cares run by Somali Americans, sometimes under the false pretense of trying to enroll a child. In a couple of instances, workers do open the door but seem immediately suspicious when it\u2019s clear Shirley is recording them and refuse to let him in or give him more information.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Because some of the sites appear closed and Shirley doesn\u2019t see any children, he declares this as proof of fraud at these facilities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Most child care centers are locked and have obscured doors or windows for children\u2019s safety. Children are also kept in classrooms and would not likely be visible<\/a> from a reception area. One of the day cares in the video told several news outlets that it did not grant Shirley entrance because he showed up with a handful of masked men<\/a>, which raised suspicions that the men were agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. At least one of the centers was closed at the time Shirley arrived because it opens later in the day<\/a> to serve the children of second-shift workers.<\/p>\n