Rich Stanek, a former sheriff in Minneapolis, claims that an excessive dose of “Minnesota nice” has significantly contributed to a troubling wave of immigration fraud recently highlighted by federal authorities in the Twin Cities.
“Minnesota has always prided itself on being a welcoming state,” Stanek, who led law enforcement in Minneapolis for 12 years, stated.
“However, when people use the phrase ‘Minnesota nice,’ it often means they failed to inquire further or simply overlooked the issues.”
Stanek argues that the courteous Midwestern attitude is directly responsible for the immigration issues identified by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in Minneapolis and St. Paul last month. During a two-week investigation, officials found that nearly half of the 1,000 immigrant households examined were involved in some form of immigration fraud, according to reports.
“Our officers discovered clear cases of marriage fraud, overstaying visas, individuals falsely reporting employment at non-existent businesses, forged documents, and abuses of both H1B and F1 visa systems, among other violations,” stated USCIS director Joseph B. Edlow after the operation concluded.
Stanek, labeling the USCIS’ findings as “surprisingly high,” believes that local progressive leaders have consistently turned a blind eye to such offenses for many years, potentially with the intention of cultivating a supportive voter demographic.
“We’ve seen several successive governors, including Mark Dayton and Tim Walz, neglect these matters. Local officials in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Hennepin, and Ramsey County have also ignored the situation,” he noted. “It all boils down to securing votes.”
Although USCIS did not specify which immigrant groups were implicated in the fraud, the local Somali community, which has grown significantly to around 82,000 residents in recent years, has been notably successful in infiltrating local political structures, noted Stanek.
“Like many immigrant groups, they’ve empowered themselves politically. They’ve been elected to city councils, school boards, state legislatures, and Congress,” Stanek observed.
“People exhibit ‘Minnesota nice’ and generally avoid confronting these issues. Some were perhaps invested in fostering that demographic for political gain, thereby refraining from asking the difficult questions,” he added. “Now, the implications are becoming overwhelmingly clear.”
The Somali immigrant community in Minnesota has attracted significant media attention over the years, especially following the election of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar in 2019 and more recently, state senator Omar Fateh’s remarkable bid for the endorsement of the leading Democratic party in Minneapolis.
Ilhan Omar, a naturalized US citizen originally from Somalia, has faced scrutiny regarding questionable immigration practices, including allegations concerning a purported marriage to her brother for citizenship. She has strongly denied such accusations.
The exact number of detentions from the USCIS operation, “Twin Shield,” which was carried out in collaboration with ICE, remains unknown; however, authorities cited shocking schemes involving fake death certificates and exploitative marriages with elderly citizens.
Stanek emphasized that the majority of immigrants coming to Minnesota — which also include substantial populations from Mexico, Vietnam, and India — are respectful and seeking the American dream, yet he argues that rampant fraud is costing taxpayers millions and inviting the risk of criminal activity.
“If I were governor for a day, my first action would be to collaborate with the federal government to address immigration fraud,” he stated.
