House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., said on Newsmax Friday that immigrants who commit fraud against government programs should face denaturalization and deportation, while also renewing criticism of Minnesota Democrat leaders over a major fraud case in the state.
Speaking on "National Report," Emmer said he has introduced legislation that would change immigration laws to target naturalized citizens who engage in fraud.
"If you come to this country, if you want to chase your American dream and your American dream is committing fraud and fleecing the generosity of Americans, guess what? You should be denaturalized, and you should be shipped back to wherever you came from," Emmer said.
Emmer argued that authorities should take a tougher stance on fraud and other criminal activity, saying public officials should not avoid addressing such issues for fear of criticism.
"The idea that we don't want to call out fraud, we don't want to call out criminal activity because we're afraid of being called names — those days are over," Emmer said. "It is time to let the truth rule. These people need to be held accountable."
Emmer's remarks came as he discussed fraud investigations in Minnesota, including allegations involving individuals connected to the state's Somali community.
He accused Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, both Democrats, of failing to recognize or address fraud that he said persisted for years.
"When you have billions of dollars being bled out of your state government, you're going to try and tell me that Tim Walz, our governor, had no idea this was going on for seven and a half years?" Emmer said.
"You're going to try and tell me our attorney general, Keith Ellison, didn't know something about it?" he added.
Emmer also claimed that Ellison was "on a tape talking about aiding the Somali fraudsters," though he did not provide evidence during the interview.
Representatives for Walz and Ellison did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday.
Federal prosecutors have pursued several high-profile fraud cases in Minnesota in recent years, including the Feeding Our Future case, which authorities have described as one of the largest pandemic-related fraud schemes in the country.
Dozens of defendants have been charged in connection with allegations that millions of dollars intended for child nutrition programs were fraudulently obtained.
Emmer said the issue extends beyond any single community.
"By the way, it is not just one group. It's many different groups," he said. "It just happens to be Somali fraudsters in Minnesota."
His proposed legislation has not yet advanced in Congress.
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