Minneapolis has become ground zero for one of the biggest welfare fraud scandals in American history.
Federal investigators uncovered billions in stolen taxpayer dollars.
And the Minneapolis Police Chief just gave Tom Homan a jaw-dropping reason to arrest him.
Chief threatens officers who don't interfere with federal agents
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara escalated his war against federal immigration enforcement when he threatened to fire his own officers for not stopping ICE agents.
"If unlawful force is being used by any law enforcement officer against any person in this city and one of our officers is there, absolutely, I expect them to intervene, or they'll be fired," O'Hara declared.¹
O'Hara claims his officers must physically step in if they witness ICE using what he calls "excessive" force during arrests.
A sergeant from his department later clarified they'd stop short of arresting federal agents — but the damage was already done.
The chief is setting up a deadly confrontation between local cops and federal law enforcement officers who have every legal right to make arrests.
Think about what O'Hara's demanding here.
He wants Minneapolis cops — who supposedly don't have enough manpower to handle the city's crime wave — to stand between ICE agents and illegal aliens being lawfully arrested.
What does O'Hara think constitutes "unlawful force" anyway?
This is the same crowd that spent years calling ICE agents Gestapo kidnappers.
Democrats pushed that propaganda so hard that ICE agents now wear masks during operations — not to look intimidating, but because the pro-illegal immigration mob threatens to dox them and terrorize their families.
And now O'Hara's using those masks as justification to call 911 on federal officers doing their jobs.
Tom Homan drops the hammer on police chief's lawless threats
Border Czar Tom Homan eviscerated O'Hara for trying to obstruct federal immigration enforcement.
"He oughta put his badge in the desk drawer and walk away because he stopped being a cop to become a politician," Homan said.²
Homan pointed out the obvious: interfering with federal agents is a federal crime.
Under 18 USC 111, anyone who "forcibly assaults, resists, opposes, impedes, intimidates, or interferes" with federal officers performing their duties commits a felony.
O'Hara's officers don't need to put hands on ICE agents to break the law.
Legal experts note that merely interfering by demanding federal officers explain themselves while doing their duty is sufficient to violate the law, according to American Thinker's analysis of the statute.³
And if Minneapolis cops actually get physical with ICE agents during lawful arrests, they're looking at serious prison time.
"We are waiting to prosecute anybody that impedes law enforcement in doing their job," Homan warned.
Zero tolerance for sanctuary city politicians who think they're above federal law.
Here's what makes O'Hara's position even more absurd.
His department is hemorrhaging officers after the George Floyd riots destroyed recruitment and retention.
The Minneapolis Police Department is down 40% of its force.
O'Hara himself admitted he doesn't have enough cops to handle the daily call volume from actual crime in the city.
But now he wants to burn even more resources by having his officers respond to panicked 911 calls every time someone spots masked federal agents making arrests.
That's Minneapolis leadership in a nutshell — always finding new ways to make everything worse.
Billion-dollar fraud scheme exposed why ICE is targeting Minneapolis
The Trump administration didn't send 100 ICE agents to Minneapolis on a whim.
Federal prosecutors uncovered a staggering $1 billion welfare fraud operation centered in Minnesota's Somali community.
The schemes were massive and brazen.
Fraudsters set up fake nonprofits claiming to feed hungry children during COVID.
They created phony autism therapy centers billing Medicaid millions for services never provided.
They scammed housing assistance programs so thoroughly that Minnesota terminated the entire Housing Stabilization Services program after finding the "vast majority" of it was fraudulent.³
Some of the stolen money bought luxury cars and real estate overseas.
But investigators believe portions of the cash were funneled through informal banking networks back to Somalia — where the terrorist group al-Shabaab took its cut.
"The largest funder of Al-Shabaab is the Minnesota taxpayer," one federal counterterrorism source said.⁴
At least 87 people have been charged so far.
Most defendants are members of Minnesota's Somali community who exploited America's generosity to rob taxpayers blind.
And Minnesota Democrats like Governor Tim Walz sat on their hands while it happened.
Why?
Because the Somali community represents a powerful voting bloc in Minneapolis.
Democrats feared cracking down on fraud would cost them elections.
So they let the schemes metastasize until President Trump sent in federal agents to clean up the mess.
Mayor speaks Somali while his city burns
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey joined O'Hara in attacking federal immigration enforcement.
Frey accused ICE of "targeting Somali people" based on appearance and claimed it was "inevitable" agents would round up American citizens.
That's a bald-faced lie designed to create hysteria.
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin shut down that garbage immediately.
"What makes someone a target of ICE is not their race or ethnicity," McLaughlin explained, "but the fact that they are in the country illegally."⁵
ICE isn't randomly grabbing people off the street.
They're arresting criminals who committed welfare fraud and violated immigration law.
But Frey can't admit that because he's too busy pandering.
This is the same mayor who now speaks Somali at public events to score political points with the community.
The same mayor whose city watched businesses burn during the 2020 George Floyd riots while police stood down on orders from spineless politicians.
Minneapolis chose this.
They elected Tim Walz as governor.
They put Ilhan Omar in Congress.
They installed a police chief who thinks federal law enforcement are the bad guys.
Now President Trump is forcing them to face the consequences of their sanctuary city insanity.
Border Czar Tom Homan made clear the Trump administration won't tolerate obstruction.
"Your number-one responsibility is the safety and security of your communities, and ICE is targeting criminals — criminals," Homan told O'Hara.⁶
"For you not to partner with ICE to make your community safer is shameful."
Minneapolis had its chance to clean up the fraud.
They chose politics over law and order.
Now federal agents are doing the job Minneapolis leadership refused to do — and prosecuting anyone who gets in their way.
¹ MS Now, "Minneapolis police chief warns officers: Stop unlawful force by ICE or lose your job," December 5, 2025.
² Alpha News, "Border czar Tom Homan: ICE zeroing in on Minneapolis because of 'criminal activity'," December 5, 2025.
³ American Thinker, "The Minneapolis police chief threatens to break federal law," December 7, 2025.
⁴ City Journal, "Minnesota Welfare Fraud: Some Funds Went to Al-Shabaab," November 19, 2025.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ RedState, "Wait, What? Minneapolis Police Chief Urges Residents to Call 911 on ICE Agents," December 3, 2025.
⁷ Fox News, "Trump 'border czar' Homan fires back at Minneapolis mayor over ICE raids," December 3, 2025.
