Blackburn Leads Colleagues in Introducing Bicameral Legislation to Deport and Denaturalize Fraudsters Following Minnesota Somali Schemes

Blackburn Leads Colleagues in Introducing Bicameral Legislation to Deport and Denaturalize Fraudsters Following Minnesota Somali Schemes
January 8, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C.
– Today, U.S. Senators
Marsha Blackburn
(R-Tenn.),
John Cornyn
(R-Texas),
Tom Cotton
(R-Ark.), and
Ted Budd
(R-N.C.) introduced the
Fraud Accountability Act
, which would explicitly add fraud as a deportable offense under the
Immigration and Nationality Act
(INA). The bill would also make clear that any person who commits a deportable offense, now explicitly including fraud, would be subject to denaturalization.
“Anyone who comes to the United States and steals from American taxpayers by committing fraud should be deported,”
said Senator Blackburn.
“The fraud schemes we have seen in Minnesota and across the country are a betrayal of hardworking American taxpayers, and individuals like the Somali scammers in Minnesota should be subject to both deportation and denaturalization for these crimes. The Fraud Accountability Act would hold these criminals accountable for robbing American taxpayers.”
“The rampant and unprecedented fraud uncovered in Minnesota involving Somali-run childcare centers and nonprofits is unconscionable, and Governor Walz’s complete deflection of any responsibility for this massive theft of U.S. taxpayer dollars under his watch is cowardly but unsurprising,”
said Senator Cornyn
. “Anyone who attempts to get rich at the expense of American taxpayers should be ashamed and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law, and I’m proud to introduce this bill with Senator Blackburn to ensure any illegal alien who is convicted of fraud faces swift deportation for their flagrant abuse of taxpayer funds.”
“It’s completely unacceptable to waste Arkansas taxpayer dollars on fraudulent government programs,”
said Senator Cotton.
“Any alien who commits fraud against American taxpayers should be deported immediately.”
“North Carolina taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to foot the bill for blatant fraud schemes across the country,”
said Senator Budd
. “If government programs using taxpayer dollars are not run responsibly, we must ensure those who steal taxpayer dollars are held accountable.”
U.S. Representative
Buddy Carter
(R-Ga.) is leading the introduction of companion legislation in the House of Representatives:
“Any alien or naturalized citizen who comes to the United States to defraud American taxpayers does not deserve to be here,”
said Representative Carter.
“Tim Walz’s socialist Minnesota allowed both immigration and social programs to run unchecked, resulting in $9 billion worth of fraud that directly harms Minnesotans' access to childcare, nutrition, and other programs and may have funded terrorist activity overseas. Every immigrant involved in these schemes should be deported, and I thank Senator Blackburn for her leadership to ensure we welcome folks with integrity, not criminals.”
This legislation is also co-sponsored by U.S. Senators
Bill Hagerty
(R-Tenn.),
Lindsey Graham
(R-S.C.) and
Kevin Cramer
(R-N.D.)
BACKGROUND
Federal prosecutors allege that the total amount of stolen taxpayer dollars in Minnesota could exceed $9 billion.
Under Governor Walz’s watch front groups that pretended to provide social services stole billions of taxpayer dollars.
In 2024, the Biden administration scrapped a rule that
required
child care centers to verify that kids actually attended their facilities to receive federal funding.
The fraud extends far beyond Minnesota, which is why President Trump
froze
more than $10 billion in federal grants in five states following serious concerns about widespread fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars in state-administered programs.
THE FRAUD ACCOUNTABILITY ACT
The
Fraud Accountability Act
would:
Amend the INA to explicitly add any crime of fraud—of any amount—committed against private individuals, funds, corporations, or government entities as a deportable offense; and
Revoke the naturalization of those who commit a crime of fraud or any other deportable offense.
Click
here
for bill text.
ENDORSEMENTS
The
Fraud Accountability Act
is endorsed by
NumbersUSA:
“Our current immigration system is vulnerable to fraud, and as evidenced, unsustainable numbers can overwhelm the system and impact Americans and our communities. This bill holds those committing fraud against the U.S. accountable, and serves as a reminder that immigration is a privilege, not a right,”
said NumbersUSA Co-President Michael Hough.
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https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/index.php/2026/1/crime/blackburn-leads-colleagues-in-introducing-bicameral-legislation-to-deport-and-denaturalize-fraudsters-following-minnesota-somali-schemes