{"id":2493096,"date":"2025-09-30T20:31:01","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T00:31:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/multiple-people-arrested-after-feds-uncover-massive-immigration-fraud-scheme-involving-hundreds-in-minnesota\/"},"modified":"2025-09-30T20:34:04","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T00:34:04","slug":"multiple-people-arrested-after-feds-uncover-massive-immigration-fraud-scheme-involving-hundreds-in-minnesota","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/multiple-people-arrested-after-feds-uncover-massive-immigration-fraud-scheme-involving-hundreds-in-minnesota\/","title":{"rendered":"Multiple People Arrested After Feds Uncover Massive Immigration Fraud Scheme Involving Hundreds in Minnesota"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmultiple-people-arrested-after-feds-uncover-massive-immigration-fraud-scheme-involving-hundreds-in-minnesota%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2493096&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A recent immigration enforcement sweep in the Minneapolis-St.Paul area uncovered widespread immigration fraud, according to Joseph Edlow, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration services (USCIS). The <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >operation revealed extensive cases<\/a> of marriage fraud, visa overstays, forged documents, and abuses of visa programs such as the H1B and F1 visas. Nearly half of the 1,000 homes targeted in the sweep were found to be involved in some form of immigration fraud. The region, home to a large Somali immigrant community of over 82,000 people, was chosen due to troubling patterns and red flags. Cases included sham marriages involving <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/los-angeles-county-sheriff-supports-recall-effort-against-d-a-gascon\/\" title=\"Los Angeles County Sheriff Supports Recall Effort Against D.A. Gasc\u00f3n\">elder abuse<\/a>,fake death certificates to end marriages,and individuals overstaying visas after fraudulent activities. Four arrests were made during the sweep, which took place over ten days in late September 2025. USCIS emphasized that immigration fraud threatens national security and public safety and announced that similar enforcement operations may expand to other cities.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>An immigration enforcement sweep in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area found widespread immigration fraud, according to the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Officers encountered blatant marriage fraud, visa overstay, people claiming to work as businesses that can&rsquo;t be found, forged documents, abuse of the H1B visa system, abuse of the F1 visa, and many other discrepancies,&rdquo; USCIS Director Joseph Edlow told reporters Tuesday, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/09\/30\/us-news\/bombshell-ice-sweep-in-minneapolis-st-paul-finds-50-of-immigrants-had-committed-immigration-fraud-after-massive-arrival-uptick-from-somalia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New York Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Twin Cities has seen a massive rise in Somali refugees and immigrants, with over 82,000 Somalians living in Minnesota.<\/p>\n<p>The area targeted for the enforcement sweep includes areas in and around the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/member\/district\/ilhan-omar\/O000173\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">congressional district<\/a> represented by Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar.<\/p>\n<p>The New York Post report cited an immigration official as saying &ldquo;nearly 50 percent&rdquo; of inhabitants in the 1,000 homes targeted were involved in some type of fraud.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Our officers found indication of fraud, non-compliance or public safety and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/blackburn-introduces-amendments-to-counter-china-and-iran\/\" title=\"Blackburn Introduces Amendments to Counter China and Iran\">national security concerns<\/a>,&rdquo; Edlow said. &ldquo;What they found should shock all of America.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&ldquo;Immigration fraud undermines our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/amnesty-lobby-bbb-will-fix-joe-bidens-inflation-by-cutting-voters-wages\/\" title=\"Amnesty Lobby: BBB Will Fix Joe Biden&#039;s Inflation by Cutting Voters&#039; Wages\">lawful immigration system<\/a>, harms those who follow the law, &amp; poses risks to national security &amp; public safety.<\/p>\n<p>Under <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/POTUS?\">@POTUS<\/a>, we will leave no stone unturned, through partnerships like Operation Twin Shield.&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/USCISJoe?\">@USCISJoe<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/M90GzmV3N5\">https:\/\/t.co\/M90GzmV3N5<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; USCIS (@USCIS) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/USCIS\/status\/1973134243623563294?\">September 30, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>USCIS said one immigrant underwent a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dhs-chief-mayorkas-strips-border-protections-from-u-s-graduates\/\" title=\"DHS Chief Mayorkas Strips Border Protections from U.S. Graduates\">sham marriage<\/a> with an elderly American who was then subject to &ldquo;elder abuse and exploitation,&rdquo; according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/sham-marriages-elder-exploitation-fake-death-certificates-uncovered-massive-minnesota-immigration-bust\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fox News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Another immigrant admitting faking a Kenyan death certificate for $100 to end his marriage when his wife, who is also the mother of five of his children, was living in Minneapolis.<\/p>\n<p>In another case, an individual admitted to marriage fraud hours after insisting her marriage was legitimate.<\/p>\n<p>USCIS also found the son of a suspected terrorist who overstayed his visa and had been denied benefits because of fraud.<\/p>\n<p>The sweep took place between Sept. 19 and Sept. 28, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fox9.com\/news\/feds-uncover-false-marriages-fake-death-certificates-during-immigration-operation-minnesota\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KMSP-TV<\/a>, which reported four people were arrested.<\/p>\n<p>USCIS officials indicated that other cities are likely to be future targets, and said unspecified red flags made Minnesota appear a good place to start this new enforcement operation.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;When you look at what we&rsquo;re seeing as concerning patterns of fraud, we&rsquo;re seeing good cooperation here, especially among our field office working with our federal agents,&rdquo; Edlow said. &ldquo;It just makes sense to start in a city where we have a sense of what&rsquo;s going on and where we can try to make an impact on certain things, like the immigration fraud from marriages and things of that nature.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We knew Minneapolis and Saint Paul were a good place to start to get that coordination and to start addressing the red flags that we found,&rdquo; he added.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;At the end of the day, this is what the government should be doing,&rdquo; Edlow continued.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;And when you see what has been uncovered by these diligent officers over the past two weeks, less than a two-week period, that&rsquo;s only the tip of the iceberg to what we&rsquo;re actually dealing with when it comes to immigration fraud. That ultimately is, in my opinion, the same thing as a threat to our national security, a threat to public safety, and something that we&rsquo;ve got to take seriously,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An immigration enforcement operation in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region uncovered extensive immigration fraud, according to the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). USCIS Director Joseph Edlow told reporters that officers discovered clear cases of marriage fraud, visa overstays, individuals falsely claiming to operate businesses that do not exist, forged documents, misuse of H1B and F1 visas, among other violations. The Twin Cities area has experienced a significant increase in Somali refugees and immigrants, with over 82,000 Somalis residing in Minnesota. The sweep focused on neighborhoods within and near the congressional district represented by Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar. An immigration official cited by the New York Post stated that nearly half of the residents in about 1,000 targeted homes were involved in some form of fraud.<\/p>\n<p>Edlow emphasized that officers found evidence pointing to fraud, non-compliance issues, as well as concerns related to public safety and national security-findings he said should alarm all Americans. He added that immigration fraud undermines lawful processes and poses risks to both national security and public safety but assured that under President Biden&#8217;s administration they will thoroughly investigate such cases through initiatives like Operation Twin Shield.<\/p>\n<p>Among specific cases reported were an immigrant who entered into a fake marriage with an elderly American who was then subjected to elder abuse; another individual admitted forging a Kenyan death certificate for $100 to end his marriage while his wife lived locally; one woman confessed to marriage fraud shortly after insisting her union was legitimate; USCIS also identified a suspected terrorist&#8217;s son who overstayed his visa and was denied benefits due to fraudulent activity.<\/p>\n<p>The enforcement action took place from September 19 through September 28 with four arrests made during this period. Officials indicated other cities may be targeted next based on certain warning signs detected in Minnesota.<\/p>\n<p>Edlow noted strong cooperation between local field offices and federal agents made Minneapolis-St. Paul an ideal starting point for addressing patterns of immigration fraud-particularly involving sham marriages-and tackling related red flags effectively.<\/p>\n<p>He concluded by stating this type of government action is necessary given what has been uncovered so far represents only a fraction of the broader problem threatening national security and public safety which must be addressed seriously moving forward<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2493097,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2025-09-30T175622.744.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4283,64354,38348,64353,5698],"class_list":["post-2493096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-arrests","tag-criminal-scheme","tag-federal-investigation","tag-immigration-fraud","tag-minnesota"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2025-09-30T175622.744.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2493096","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2493096"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2493096\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2493100,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2493096\/revisions\/2493100"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2493097"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2493096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2493096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2493096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}