MS Now analyst Mara Gay claimed on Monday that Somalis in Minnesota are being “scapegoated” after reportedly stealing billions of dollars from social services.

Federal prosecutors have estimated that over $9 billion was stolen from social programs primarily by the Somali community in Minnesota. Gay claimed on “Morning Joe” that the far right is only focusing on the Somali fraud scandal rather than other fraudulent schemes across the U.S. because it fits their narrative.

“Let’s recall too that there’s also other scandals in other states,” Gay said. “For example, the Mississippi welfare scandal. This is not unique to politics. Americans know that. But of course, the other factor here is that because it looks like the Somali population in Minnesota, the Somali immigrant population may have been involved in some way, those people are being scapegoated.” 

“And that community is being scapegoated in a way that certainly serves the far right. And so, that’s also something to keep an eye on. And that’s inappropriate, absolutely,” Gay continued. 

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Prosecutors in Minnesota charged 92 defendants in the fraud scheme, with 82 of those being of Somali descent. Dozens of those individuals allegedly stole around $350 million from the federal Child Nutrition Program through the Minnesota-based nonprofit Feeding Our Future. YouTuber Nick Shirley posted a video on Friday finding that multiple purported Somali-run day care centers in Minnesota, including one which reportedly received $4 million in taxpayer funds, had no children inside.

FBI Director Kash Patel announced on Sunday that his agency would send additional personnel and investigative sources to Minnesota to dismantle fraud schemes in the area. He stated the FBI dismantled a $250 million scheme that stole federal food aid intended to go to vulnerable children during the COVID pandemic.

Democrats have defended Somalis, including Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who criticized white men during a Dec. 12 press conference in response to a question about whether Somalis would be held accountable for the crimes committed. A number of state employees accused Walz of bearing full responsibility for the fraud by “systematically” retaliating against whistleblowers who warned of the fraud schemes.

Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar accused President Donald Trump and other critics of pushing an anti-immigrant and bigoted agenda by criticizing Somalis. Democratic Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said on Tuesday that Somalis were responsible for the city’s “every achievement.”

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