YouTuber accuses Minnesota daycare fraud
Nick Shirley, a YouTuber, alleges widespread fraud in Minnesota's Somali-run daycare centers, claiming centers are empty while millions in funding are collected, with no verification.
Overview
Who: YouTuber Nick Shirley; What: asserts widespread fraud; Where: Minnesota's Somali-run government-funded daycare centers; When: claims span recent funding cycles; How: alleges the facilities are empty.
What the claims allege: centers are empty while millions in funding are claimed to be collected, implying misallocation of public funds without delivering services.
The source material presents the accusations as unverified, with no independent confirmation offered in the narrative, underscoring the need for official investigations.
Impact: If true, residents and families relying on daycare services could be affected, and public trust in state-funded programs might erode, prompting calls for oversight.
Response: The summaries do not include statements from Minnesota officials or the centers themselves, indicating that verification and official comment are pending further reporting.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as a cautionary examination of how political influencers exploit social media in immigrant communities, emphasizing evidence gaps and the risk of harassment, while contrasting official investigations and community voices to contextualize claims. They highlight bipartisan concerns about tone, context, and the potential for racism to drive coverage.
Sources (5)
FAQ
Nick Shirley is an American YouTuber and self-described independent journalist who, on December 26, 2025, published a video alleging widespread fraud at Somali-run daycare centers in Minnesota, showing empty facilities while claiming millions in government funding.[1]
The video received over 135 million views on X (Twitter) and prompted investigations by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, FBI, and the Department of Health and Human Services freezing child care payments in Minnesota.
The director of ABC Learning Center denied any fraud, stating the center is open daily with records to prove it, and claimed the video is part of a political campaign against Somali Minnesotans.[3]
A federal audit published in May 2025 identified oversight flaws in Minnesota's childcare assistance program, particularly in monitoring child attendance, which resurfaced after Shirley's video.[4]
Critics argue the video uses disinformation tactics by framing empty appearances as proof of fraud without verification, despite prior proven fraud cases in Minnesota programs not directly linked to these centers.[2]
History
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