Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Tuesday accused Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz of enabling widespread fraud tied to visas and government programs, saying the administration is moving to recoup taxpayer funds and to remove those she described as being in the country unlawfully.
"You told me to look into Minnesota and their fraud on visas and their programs. Fifty percent of them are fraudulent," Noem told President Donald Trump during Tuesday's Cabinet meeting, shown in full on Newsmax.
She added during the meeting with President Donald Trump, "That wacko Governor Walz either is an idiot or he did it on purpose. And I think he's both, sir."
In her comments, she alleged immigrants living in Minnesota "were married to somebody who was their brother or somebody else" and described what she called "fraudulent visa applications" that she claimed were used to access government benefits.
"He brought people in there illegally that never should have been in this country," Noem asserted, resulting in fraudulent applications that "took hundreds of billions of dollars from the taxpayers."
She said the administration would "remove them" and "get our money back" and vowed that next year, the government would place leaders in positions who "love this country and have its back."
Noem's remarks came as federal immigration authorities have recently pointed to Minnesota as a focus of enforcement targeting alleged immigration fraud.
As of Nov. 24, 78 people have been charged for alleged participation in the federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of a now-canceled DHS Feeding Our Future program, according to the Department of Justice.
The Minnesota U.S. Attorney's Office has said the scheme is the nation's largest COVID-19-related fraud.
In addition, earlier this fall, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said a Minnesota-centered effort known as "Operation Twin Shield" identified 275 cases of suspected fraud in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, with local reporting describing allegations that included visa application and marriage-related fraud.
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