Walz deputy erupts at ICE and fellow Dem, torches Laken Riley Act in fiery tweetstorm as scandals pile up
As Minnesota’s executive branch is roiled by the burgeoning Feeding Our Future-Somali fraud scandal, Gov. Tim Walz’s top deputy has used her latest tweets to attack federal immigration enforcement – even dinging a Democratic colleague for a prior vote thanking ICE for its work.
The Walz administration is facing a major social services fraud scandal in which federal prosecutors found “schemes stacked upon schemes” operated by Somali-run nonprofits that siphoned hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars from child-nutrition and Medicaid housing programs.
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan initially slammed President Donald Trump for off-color remarks about Minnesota’s Somali community, telling CNN he wants to “distract” the public from cost-of-living increases.
“ICE is raiding restaurants, lurking outside of schools, and detaining U.S. citizens,” Flanagan wrote Monday.
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She also blamed the Laken Riley Act – a law inspired by a Georgia student murdered by an illegal immigrant – for sparking the hefty ICE operations throughout the country.
“Trump chose the Laken Riley Act as the first bill of his administration for one reason: He wanted to legitimize his mass deportation agenda,” she said.
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“Every vote in favor of this bill normalized the chaos we see now.”
Flanagan also took issue with a fellow Democrat, Rep. Angie Craig of Shakopee, who similarly slammed ICE after four U.S. citizens were reportedly detained during a raid on a Minnesota home.
“Respectfully, Congresswoman, you voted with Republicans to strip due process from immigrants and to praise Trump’s ICE. This year. Now you’re upset?” Flanagan said.
“Votes have consequences. Minnesotans deserve better.”
Craig had been one of 75 Democrats who crossed the aisle to support a resolution from Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Colo., to “affirm that free and open communication between State and local law enforcement and their federal counterparts remains the bedrock of public safety and is necessary in preventing terrorist attacks; and expresses gratitude to law enforcement officers, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel, for protecting the homeland.”
Flanagan and Craig have both announced campaigns to succeed retiring Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn. If elected, Flanagan – who is Ojibwe – would be the first Native American U.S. senator.
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The incident cited by Flanagan and Craig involved ICE agents reportedly tailing a family from Burnsville, Minnesota, to their home and detaining them during a search. Fox News Digital reached out to DHS for further comment and information on the broader operation.
Craig had called the incident “inhumane” and said that “Trump’s ICE is out of control.”
In an earlier tweet on Trump’s attacks on Minnesota and its Somali community being a “hellhole,” Flanagan quipped: “Well actually, hell is any room with you, (Donald Trump).”
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“Minnesota is ranked one of the happiest states in the country because you don’t live here.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Flanagan for a response and Craig for additional comment.
House Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky. – leading the federal probe into Minnesota’s fraud scandal – has claimed the state’s “negligence” allowed criminals, including Somali terrorists, to steal nearly $1 billion from taxpayers while “children suffered.”
Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.
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