An immigration enforcement sweep in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area found widespread immigration fraud, according to the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
“Officers encountered blatant marriage fraud, visa overstay, people claiming to work as businesses that can’t be found, forged documents, abuse of the H1B visa system, abuse of the F1 visa, and many other discrepancies,” USCIS Director Joseph Edlow told reporters Tuesday, according to the New York Post.
The Twin Cities has seen a massive rise in Somali refugees and immigrants, with over 82,000 Somalians living in Minnesota.
The area targeted for the enforcement sweep includes areas in and around the congressional district represented by Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar.
The New York Post report cited an immigration official as saying “nearly 50 percent” of inhabitants in the 1,000 homes targeted were involved in some type of fraud.
“Our officers found indication of fraud, non-compliance or public safety and national security concerns,” Edlow said. “What they found should shock all of America.”
“Immigration fraud undermines our lawful immigration system, harms those who follow the law, & poses risks to national security & public safety.
Under @POTUS, we will leave no stone unturned, through partnerships like Operation Twin Shield.” @USCISJoe https://t.co/M90GzmV3N5
— USCIS (@USCIS) September 30, 2025
USCIS said one immigrant underwent a sham marriage with an elderly American who was then subject to “elder abuse and exploitation,” according to Fox News.
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Another immigrant admitting faking a Kenyan death certificate for $100 to end his marriage when his wife, who is also the mother of five of his children, was living in Minneapolis.
In another case, an individual admitted to marriage fraud hours after insisting her marriage was legitimate.
USCIS also found the son of a suspected terrorist who overstayed his visa and had been denied benefits because of fraud.
The sweep took place between Sept. 19 and Sept. 28, according to KMSP-TV, which reported four people were arrested.
USCIS officials indicated that other cities are likely to be future targets, and said unspecified red flags made Minnesota appear a good place to start this new enforcement operation.
“When you look at what we’re seeing as concerning patterns of fraud, we’re seeing good cooperation here, especially among our field office working with our federal agents,” Edlow said. “It just makes sense to start in a city where we have a sense of what’s going on and where we can try to make an impact on certain things, like the immigration fraud from marriages and things of that nature.”
“We knew Minneapolis and Saint Paul were a good place to start to get that coordination and to start addressing the red flags that we found,” he added.
“At the end of the day, this is what the government should be doing,” Edlow continued.
“And when you see what has been uncovered by these diligent officers over the past two weeks, less than a two-week period, that’s only the tip of the iceberg to what we’re actually dealing with when it comes to immigration fraud. That ultimately is, in my opinion, the same thing as a threat to our national security, a threat to public safety, and something that we’ve got to take seriously,” he said.
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