Somali-run Nokomis Daycare in Minneapolis vandalized amid fraud-video backlash
Nokomis Daycare Center, a Somali-run, state‑licensed child care facility in Minneapolis, reported an overnight break‑in discovered early Dec. 30 that caused extensive vandalism and the theft of sensitive employee and child records, and is now under Minneapolis police investigation. The incident comes days after YouTuber Nick Shirley’s viral video alleging fraud at Somali‑run day cares—claims state officials say prior inspections have not substantiated—and after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services froze all child care payments to Minnesota, prompting the center and allied providers to warn that the rhetoric is fueling hate and real‑world targeting of Somali communities even as they stress legitimate fraud should still be prosecuted.
📌 Key Facts
- Staff arrived around 6 a.m. Dec. 30 to find Nokomis Daycare Center had been forcibly entered, with building and office doors damaged and 'important documentation' about employees and children missing; updated details were later provided to police.
- Minneapolis Police say the break‑in occurred overnight while the center was closed and is under active investigation; initial report listed no loss, but staff have since reported missing documents.
- Nokomis, which was not named in Nick Shirley’s viral fraud video and is listed by DHS as 'in good standing' with capacity for 71 children, held a news conference blaming anti‑Somali rhetoric from the video for creating division and contributing to the vandalism, while another day care staffer criticized both the video and the federal freeze on child care funding and emphasized that Somali‑run centers should not be collectively targeted.
- The story notes Minnesota officials say past visits and investigations at centers named in the video have found no hard evidence of fraud, even as HHS has frozen all child care payments to Minnesota pending broader investigations.
📊 Relevant Data
Somali Americans in Minnesota have been overrepresented in convictions related to public benefits fraud, with dozens of such convictions secured by the state attorney general since October 2018, often involving Medicaid and child care assistance programs.
A Somali-American investigator: fraud in my community — Minnesota Reformer
The poverty rate among Somali Minnesotans is 27.9 percent, compared to the state average of 9.3 percent, with 31.2 percent of Somali households receiving SNAP benefits versus 8.5 percent statewide.
Latest Data on Somali Minnesotans 2024 — Empowering Strategies
About 54 percent of Somali-headed households in Minnesota receive food stamps, compared to 7 percent of native-born American households, with Somali population comprising approximately 1.4 percent of Minnesota's total population of 5.7 million.
Somali Immigrants in Minnesota — Center for Immigration Studies
Somalis began immigrating to Minnesota in large numbers in the 1990s as refugees fleeing civil war, resettled through U.S. refugee programs facilitated by organizations like Lutheran Social Services and Catholic Charities, attracted by job opportunities and affordable housing.
How Minnesota became a hub for Somali immigrants in the U.S. — NPR
Minnesota's Somali community, the largest in the U.S. with over 80,000 individuals, has faced allegations of involvement in a $9 billion social services fraud scheme, primarily orchestrated by members of the community, amid ongoing federal investigations.
Minn.'s Somali social-services scammers may have stolen $9 billion — New York Post