President Donald Trump on Wednesday continued his attacks on the Somali immigrants living in Minnesota, accusing them of being "scammers" and "lowlifes" in a post on Truth Social, and calling for them to be sent back to Somalia.
Trump also accused Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., one of the first Muslim women and the first Somali American to serve in Congress, of being "one of the many scammers." Omar has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
"Much of the Minnesota Fraud, up to 90%, is caused by people that came into our Country, illegally, from Somalia. 'Congresswoman' Omar, an ungrateful loser who only complains and never contributes, is one of the many scammers," the president claimed, without evidence, on social media. "Lowlifes like this can only be a liability to our Country's greatness. Send them back from where they came, Somalia, perhaps the worst, and most corrupt, country on earth."
His post referenced ongoing investigations of widespread fraud among social services programs in Minnesota that involve some members of the state's Somali community, but the Justice Department says was led by Aimee Bock, who is white.
In 2022, during the Biden administration, the Justice Department indicted individuals in an alleged $250 million scheme to defraud a child nutrition program.
But in recent weeks, that fraud scandal and additional, unsubstantiated allegations of fraud in several Minnesota child care centers from a right-wing online influencer named Nick Shirley have engulfed conservative media and reached Trump administration officials.
On Monday, FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that he'd seen Shirley's videos and that the FBI had already surged resources to Minnesota to assist ongoing investigative efforts to uncover fraud.
On Tuesday, the Health and Human Services Department said it was freezing all federal child care payments to the state of Minnesota in the wake of Shirley's allegations.
Trump, who publicly criticized Omar during his first administration, has for weeks attacked Omar and Somalis following news reports about convictions related to the Minnesota fraud.
Earlier this month, in the Oval Office, the president went on a tirade against Omar and the Somali community in her state, telling reporters, "She shouldn't be allowed to be a congresswoman, and I'm sure people are looking at that, and she should be thrown the hell out of our country. And most of those people -- they have destroyed Minnesota, OK?"
And during a rally in Pennsylvania earlier this month aimed at messaging on affordability, Trump revived a slur he used during his first term -- "shithole countries" -- while referencing Afghanistan, Haiti and Somalia.
In November, in another post on Truth Social, the president announced he was terminating Temporary Protected Status for Somalis in Minnesota, writing: "I am, as President of the United States, hereby terminating, effective immediately, the Temporary Protected Status (TPS Program) for Somalis in Minnesota. Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State, and BILLIONS of Dollars are missing. Send them back to where they came from. It's OVER!"
The president cannot unilaterally terminate a TPS program, but can direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to do so. Past attempts by the president to terminate TPS programs have faced legal challenges.
Meanwhile, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., who was the Democratic vice presidential nominee last year, and Omar have defended their state.
After news broke on Tuesday that the federal government was halting child care payments to Minnesota, Walz wrote in a post on X, "This is Trump's long game. We've spent years cracking down on fraudsters. It's a serious issue -- but this has been his plan all along. He's politicizing the issue to defund programs that help Minnesotans."
On Wednesday, during an appearance on Fox News, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said cracking down on fraud is a "top priority" for the Trump administration.
She added that the administration could pursue denaturalization in some cases.
"We're also not afraid to use denaturalization. That's a tool at the president and the secretary of state's disposal, and it's one this administration has previously used before," Leavitt said.
Under federal law, a naturalized U.S. citizen can only be denaturalized in a few circumstances outlined in the law, including if they committed fraud during the citizenship process. If Trump administration officials believe someone committed fraud, they cannot denaturalize an individual right away. The process is subject to court proceedings.
In another post on Tuesday, the governor promised to continue investigating and prosecuting fraud in his state, writing on X, "My message remains clear: If you threaten everything that makes our state a great place to live by committing fraud in Minnesota, you will be caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Earlier this month, Omar responded to the Trump administration’s suspension of TPS for Somalis in Minnesota, writing in a post on X, “Somali TPS holders are our neighbors, coworkers, and small business owners. They’ve built their lives here. I led members of Congress in demanding answers on the administration’s legally dubious and dangerous threats.”
And after the president’s comments about Somalia and Omar in Pennsylvania earlier this month, the congresswoman wrote in a separate post on X,“Trump’s obsession with me is beyond weird. He needs serious help. Since he has no economic policies to tout, he’s resorting to regurgitating bigoted lies instead. He continues to be a national embarrassment.”
A spokesperson for Omar did not immediately respond to an NBC News request for comment on Trump's latest post on Wednesday.