Border Commissioner Tom Homan spoke out strongly Sunday, asserting that ICE’s crackdown in Minnesota was necessary and legal after federal officials revealed that up to half of Somali immigrants in the state had fraudulent immigration documents. Homan said Minneapolis has long been a hot spot for illegal immigration, and that “American citizens have nothing to fear.”

Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Homan stressed: “There’s a large illegal Somali community there. If you’re a U.S. citizen, you have nothing to fear.” Because Minneapolis is a “sanctuary city,” ICE must send in additional personnel to “flood the area,” he said, in an effort to find criminals hiding in the community.

The operation comes just days after President Trump denounced the $1 billion Feeding Our Future welfare fraud, which he described as the largest theft of taxpayer funds in U.S. history through the welfare system. The case involved dozens of Somalis who set up fake companies, received grants to provide community services, but in reality did nothing but pocket taxpayer money.

President Trump declared at a cabinet meeting: “They don’t contribute anything. I don’t want them in our country. They come from bad places for a reason, and we don’t want that here.”

Meanwhile, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said the investigations have only “scratched the surface” of this massive fraud network, predicting further findings “will shock the American people.”

Homan dismissed the idea that Minnesota does not have many illegal immigrants, emphasizing that ICE prioritizes arresting “threats to public safety,” but asserted that anyone who is not legal and is found will be detained and deported.

Some left-wing journalists have cited the case of a US citizen mistakenly interrogated by ICE. Homan explained: “Illegal immigrants often claim to be US citizens. But when questioned and verified as US citizens, they are released immediately. Only when there is a valid reason to detain them.”

Meanwhile, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz continues to downplay the severity of the $1 billion fraud that occurred during his tenure, despite a wave of outrage from voters and aggressive federal intervention.