This week, federal officials made an astounding announcement: Nearly half of all immigrants in greater Minneapolis were found to have committed some form of immigration fraud.
The fraud, uncovered in a September sweep, came in all kinds — sham marriages, fake death certificates and “other bizarre schemes,” as US Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edley put it.
But the revelation was no great surprise to those of us who have followed the settlement of some 100,000 Somali immigrants in Minnesota over the past three decades.
As far back as 2008, the State Department temporarily suspended one of the family reunification programs used by Somali immigrants when DNA testing of applicants found that 80% of all its claimed family relationships were fake.
Immigration fraud in this community has been the norm.
And when it comes to “bizarre schemes,” Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) serves as Exhibit A.
Omar is accused, and has never credibly denied, that she married her brother to get him legal papers.
In 2016, following up on a tip posted on a local Somali discussion board, I found that Omar — then a first-time candidate for the Minnesota state legislature — had “religiously married,” but not legally married, Ahmed Hirsi, the father of her children.
However, records showed that in 2009 she had legally married Ahmed Nur Said Elmi — a man identified as her brother by Somalis on the discussion board.
Omar was still married to Elmi as she campaigned for state office in 2016, although her website made no mention of him and touted Hirsi as her husband.
It appeared that Omar had married her brother for some fraudulent purpose.
As if to put an exclamation point on the scam, the Omar-Elmi marriage license was executed by Wilecia Harris, a Christian minister, despite the couple’s Muslim faith.
When I asked the Omar campaign about her marriages, a criminal defense attorney responded with a message accusing me of bigotry — and failing to respond to my questions.
This has been Omar’s modus operandi ever since.
To this day, the reason for her marriage to Elmi — from whom, she says, she separated in 2011, but which didn’t officially end until 2017 — remains unclear.
One Somali source told the Daily Mail that Omar claimed she was trying to help her brother get US student loans.
Other Somalis in Minneapolis told me that Elmi had been living an openly gay lifestyle in London, as amply depicted in then-public social media posts.
The marriage, they believed, was a family ploy to remove him from his life in London (to which he later returned).
Then, in 2018, Omar was elected to Congress.
Halfway through her first term, documents from a state campaign-finance investigation revealed joint tax returns that she filed with Hirsi while legally married to Elmi — as well as internal campaign deliberations showing how her aides struggled to formulate a response to the issue of her marital history.
Campaign consultant Ben Goldfarb confided that the situation was impossible to explain without making it even more confusing, a political understatement for the ages.
Omar herself has flatly denied any family ties to Elmi, calling the charges “baseless.”
But multiple investigators have analyzed the documentary evidence. They’ve found nothing to support her denials — and an extensive trail of public records, photos and social-media posts confirming their sibling status.
When the Minneapolis Star Tribune assigned two reporters to look into the story in 2019, they all but begged Omar for an interview and permission to interview family members.
She refused.
Indeed, the Star Tribune reporters got the same treatment I did: Omar alleged that the left-leaning daily was bigoted too.
On most subjects Omar won’t shut up.
On this one the cat has her tongue.
Yet immigration fraud may be the least of the offenses committed by Minnesota’s Somali community.
A number of local Somali residents participated in the massive Feeding Our Future fraud case — the largest COVID fraud discovered so far in the United States — with losses to taxpayers exceeding $250 million.
Acting US Attorney Joe Thompson, who has prosecuted the two Feeding Our Future cases that have gone to trial so far, recently revealed expansive Medicaid-fraud schemes featuring Somali perpetrators. Thompson now estimates these frauds to run in the billions of dollars.
Ilhan Omar has proved untouchable, but others aren’t so lucky.
USCIS Director Edley has done us the favor by highlighting these frauds for a national audience, and hopefully justice will be done.
Scott W. Johnson is a retired Minneapolis attorney and contributor to the Power Line website.
Unearthed note cardsfrom the Biden erashow the administration detailed the names and photos of high-profile Democrats, such as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as well as lesser-known individuals for then-President Joe Biden to ostensibly reference during live events, documents obtained by Fox News Digital show.
Five different “palm cards,” which are hand-sized note cards frequently used by politicians for quick reminders or talking points during public events, especially while on the campaign trail, were uncovered amid an investigation of National Archive documents related to the Biden administration’s use of an autopen, and obtained by Fox News Digital.
Four of the five cards obtained by Fox Digital are stamped with a disclaimer reading, “PRESIDENT HAS SEEN,” while a fifth card detailing an ABC News reporter’s question to Biden during a press conference did not include that stamp.
It is unclear if Biden relied on each of the cards during the various public events.
Clinton was among a handful of Americans who received a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the U.S., in the waning days of the Biden administration. One of the palm cards obtained by Fox Digital reads “Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients” and was followed by photos and short biographies of the recipients, including a photo of Clinton and a short note detailing she “was the Secretary of State in the Obama-Biden administration.”
Note cards from the Biden era show the administration detailed the names and photos of high-profile Democrats, such as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, for then-President Joe Biden to reference during live events.AP
The note card also included a photo of Hollywood actor Denzel Washington, who also received the prestigious award in January, and a note describing him as an actor, director and producer whom the New York Times called “one of the greatest actors of the 21st century.” The note also had photos and short bios for lesser known individuals who received the award, including renowned chef José Andrés and businessman and philanthropist David Rubenstein.
Another palm card simply reading, “Judicial Confirmations Milestone Speech,” showed a photo of Schumer and a separate photo of Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin accompanied by the roles in the Senate, their party and the states they represent. The card included a stamp reading, “PRESIDENT HAS SEEN.”
Biden celebrated his administration confirming 235 judicial nominees in January in a speech from the State Dining Room and was joined by Schumer and Durbin during the event. Durbin and Schumer also held other public events celebrating the Biden administration’s judicial confirmation strides earlier in Biden’s Oval Office tenure.
It remains unclear if Biden relied on each of the cards during the various public events.AFP via Getty Images
A former Biden staffer told Fox Digital Tuesday that listing notable attendees and bios “is standard operating procedure for briefing materials.”
“Should the staff not have told the President that Chuck Schumer was attending?” the former staffer asked.
Another palm card listed out various family members of Hollywood legend Francis Ford Coppola ahead of the 47th Kennedy Center Honors in December 2024 that honored “The Godfather” director.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden arrive at a campaign rally in August 2016.AP
A fourth palm card was timestamped “Saturday, January 18 Greets,” and showed a photo and short bio of White House Historical Association President Stewart McLaurin, as well as another section reading, “Pritzker Family,” which displayed a photo of Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, and photos and explainers on Pritzker’s wife, son and daughter, Fox News Digital found. A photo of the palm card also read “PRESIDENT HAS SEEN.”
It is unclear if Pritzker visited the White House Jan. 18, which fell on a Saturday.
The fifth card detailed a question from ABC News’ reporter Mary Bruce. A handwritten note on the card states “Question #3.”
U.S. President Joe Biden holds a note card as he delivers remarks during a joint press conference with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 26, 2023.Getty Images
“2024: How do YOU view the path forward? How do YOU think about YOUR place in history?” the card reads.
“Speaker McCarthy/Debt Limit: Depending on what happens with the House vote on the Speaker’s debt limit bill tomorrow, do do YOU anticipate moving forwards?”
A Fox News Digital review found that the ABC News journalist asked Biden about his re-election effort during a joint press conference with the South Korean president April 26, 2023, in the Rose Garden. Bruce was the third reporterto ask Bidena question during the press conference, which fell on the same day House Republicans approved a bill to increase the debt ceiling.
“My turn to ask a question? I think the next question is Mary Bruce, ABC,” Biden said during the press conference.
A former Biden staffer told Fox Digital Tuesday that listing notable attendees and bios “is standard operating procedure for briefing materials.”AFP via Getty Images
Bruce asked, “You recently launched your re-election campaign. You’ve said questions about your age are ‘legitimate.’ And your response is always, ‘Just watch me.’ But the country is watching, and recent polling shows that 70 percent of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, believe you shouldn’t run again. What do you say to them? What do you say to those Americans who are watching and aren’t convinced?”
A former Biden staffer explained it’s standard for press staffers to discuss anticipated questions as part of briefing materials.
“You’ve said you can beat Trump again. Do you think you’re the only one?” she added.
US President Joe Biden looks at a note card referencing a reporter and its question during a news conference with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in the Rose Garden of the White House.AFP via Getty Images
Biden’s use of palm cards has long been documented, including during the April 2023 press conference with Bruce. Fox News Digital previously reported that Biden flashed a separate card showing the photo, name and name pronunciation of Los Angeles Times journalist Courtney Subramanian, while noting the card was part of “Question #1.”
Subramanian asked the first question during the press conference, with Biden calling on “Courtney of the Los Angeles Times.”
Biden flashed another palm card showing photos of reporters, accompanied by their outlets and roles, during a joint press conference with the Australian prime minister in October 2023. At his first formal press conference as president in March 2021, Biden was seen handling a card that had statistics and talking points to use.
In another image, Biden was consulting a list of preselected reporters along with their photos, Fox Digital previously reported.
Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) speaks to the media following a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House on May 09, 2023 in Washington, DC.Getty Images
Politicians long have used palm cards while on the campaign trail. Biden’s use of the cards while serving as president added fuel to the fire of concern over his mental acuity, though, including Axios reporting in 2024 that donors were spooked by Biden’s reliance on the notes.
The White House pointed to President Donald Trump’s public events where he routinely takes questions from journalists off the cuff when asked about Trump’s potential use of palm cards.
“President Trump gives unfettered access to the media and answers every question imaginable, without pre-screening the press questions or collecting reporters’ palm cards ahead of time like his incompetent predecessor,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Fox Digital Tuesday when approached for comment. “Unlike Joe Biden, President Trump is actually running our country, and he doesn’t ever shy away from taking on the fake news to deliver the truth.”
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and then-Vice President Joe Biden arrive at a campaign event at Riverfront Sports in Scranton, PA in 2016.AP
A senior White House press official added to Fox News that the press office “does not prepare any reporter palm cards” and that the team does not “ask for reporters to submit their questions to the president ahead of time.”
The Biden administration is currently facing scrutiny over the use of an autopen to sign official documents — including for clemency orders, executive orders and other official documents. The use of the autopen follows years of mounting concern that Biden’s mental acuity and health were deteriorating, which hit a fever pitch during the 2024 campaign cycle following the president’s disastrous debate performance against Trump.
Biden ultimately dropped out of the presidential race as the concerns mounted.
Since reclaiming the Oval Office, Trump has balked at his predecessor’s use of the autopen, claiming Biden’s staff allegedly used the pen to sign off on presidential actions unbeknownst to Biden. Trump ordered an investigation into the use of the autopen under the Biden administration back in June.
FDA has revised its previous interpretation of a clause of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) that states an ingredient that is first a drug cannot then become a dietary ingredient. In 2022, FDA had reiterated that the definition of a new dietary supplement excludes articles “authorized for investigation as a new drug . . . for which substantial clinical investigation have been instituted and for which the existence of such investigations have been made public,” unless the article was previously marketed as a food or dietary supplement, in its determination that β-Nicotinamide Mononucleotide (NMN) is not a dietary supplement, as we previously blogged.
Now, FDA has determined that NMN may be lawfully used in dietary supplements in response to Citizen Petitions from the Natural Products Association, the Alliance for Natural Health USA, and the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN). The Agency has determined that the “race-to-market” framework in which a dietary supplement or food must have been lawfully marketed before the approval of a new drug is not the “best reading” of the statute. Thus, FDA will no longer evaluate whether the supplement or food was lawfully marketed when determining its status, but any marketing—legal or not—must have occurred in the U.S.
In reevaluating its position on NMN, FDA noted that there is evidence that the substance was marketed in the U.S. as a dietary supplement as early as 2017 (before NMN was authorized for investigation as a new drug and substantial clinical investigations had been made public). As a result, it is not precluded from the dietary supplement definition.
While FDA’s decision states clearly that NMN may be legally used in dietary supplements, the Agency left open questions about the wider race-to-market clause. According to CRN, FDA’s response to its petition “fail[ed] to address the core structural problems that sparked the NMN confusion to begin with.”
