Gov. Tim Walz is suddenly sounding a lot like the Trump-era Justice Department he has spent years criticizing.
After federal agents hit more than 20 locations across Minneapolis in a sweeping fraud probe Tuesday, Walz rushed to praise the crackdown and claim it as proof his administration is serious about rooting out fraud tied to government programs.
“If you commit fraud in Minnesota you’re going to get caught — and that’s exactly what we saw today. We catch criminals when state and federal agencies share information. Joint investigations work, and securing justice depends on it.”
The raids were part of what officials described as a court-authorized fraud investigation targeting a network of largely Somali-owned businesses, including child care centers. Authorities executed 22 federal search warrants, with federal, state and local law enforcement involved in the operation.
“Today, the FBI, with federal, state, and local law enforcement, is involved in court-authorized law enforcement activity as part of an ongoing fraud investigation,” a Department of Justice spokesperson said.
Officials emphasized the operation was not tied to immigration enforcement. Instead, investigators are examining allegations that some child care providers registered with the state billed for services that were never actually provided, according to sources familiar with the probe.
Two of the locations targeted were identified as Quality Learning Center and Baby Halimo Child Care, both based in Minneapolis. The raids come as Minnesota faces mounting public anger over fraud allegations connected to social service programs, including child care assistance.
The Quality Learning Center name has already become a national punchline after past reporting and online investigations raised questions about whether certain listed daycare sites were operating as claimed. Blogger Nick Shirley previously visited multiple daycare addresses and said he encountered empty storefronts, closed businesses or unresponsive occupants at some locations. During those visits, Shirley said he tried to enroll a child but could not verify that operations were active at certain sites.
As of Tuesday morning, officials had not announced charges tied to the raids. The investigation remained ongoing.
Walz, who has faced criticism from Republicans and conservative activists over Minnesota’s broader fraud problems, followed his first post with another message framing the raids as the system working as designed.
If you commit fraud in Minnesota you’re going to get caught — and that’s exactly what we saw today. We catch criminals when state and federal agencies share information. Joint investigations work, and securing justice depends on it.
— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) April 28, 2026
“Today’s raids by state and federal law enforcement happened because our state agencies caught irregular behavior and reported it. That’s how the system is supposed to work, and our agencies will keep at it as long as there are fraudsters around to put behind bars.”
He then pivoted to a separate demand, calling for a joint investigation into two killings.
“Now let’s work on a joint investigation into the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good — instead of cherry picking when we seek justice and when we turn a blind eye.”
Not everyone was buying Walz’s victory lap. Conservatives quickly accused him of trying to take credit for enforcement pressure that has largely come from federal investigators and public scrutiny, not from political leadership in St. Paul.
“Something isn’t adding up here Timmy boy. Stop trying to take credit you absolute buffoon.”
The political fight now is about ownership. Walz is portraying the raids as proof that agencies under his watch are flagging suspicious behavior and coordinating with federal partners. Critics say the governor is scrambling to rewrite the narrative after months of headlines about fraud in Minnesota and the perception that the state government was slow to spot problems.
Either way, the message from prosecutors and agents is clear: the probe is active, the warrants were issued by a court, and investigators are digging into whether taxpayer-funded child care dollars were billed for services that never happened.
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