Resurfaced Somali-Language Video of Minneapolis Mayor Triggers Partisan Clash Online

Overview

• A City of Minneapolis video first posted June 6 shows Mayor Jacob Frey addressing Somali residents in Somali before repeating his message in English.
• After the clip circulated on social platforms, conservative commentator Meghan McCain condemned the mayor’s use of another language, while immigration advocate Aaron Reichlin-Melnick defended multilingual outreach.
• ICE said it surged assets to the Minneapolis area on Dec. 2 to target Somali nationals following reported fraud concerns, and President Donald Trump previously announced he would end Temporary Protected Status for Somalis in the state.
• Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said on Dec. 18 that suspected fraud in Minnesota’s Medicaid program had exceeded $9 billion, and the Treasury Department is probing whether any funds were routed to al‑Shabaab, with no public terrorism charges announced in the cited cases.
• A CBS News fact-check questioned viral claims about fraudulent daycare facilities that helped fuel the current narrative about widespread public-benefits fraud.