Program to Help Businesses Hurt by Operation Metro Surge Shut Down Due to Rampant Fraud

Fraud? In Minnesota? You're not going to believe this, but …

#BREAKING: Minnesota's “anti-ICE relief fund” was shut down over rampant fraud.
— Insider Wire (@InsiderWire) September 19, 2026

The "small business recovery fund" was set up by Hennepin County to allocate $2 million to help businesses that had been hurt by the Trump administration's Operation Metro Surge targeting Minneapolis. However, Fox News reports that two-thirds of applications were flagged for potential fraud. This sounds like the COVID-era Paycheck Protection Program all over again.

The board of Hennepin County in Minnesota, home to Minneapolis, approved $2 million in funding for local businesses impacted by Operation Metro Surge — a large-scale immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota launched in December 2025. The county received roughly 300 applications and ultimately distributed about $500,000 to 82 applicants, while more than 200 applications were flagged for potential fraud, according to local reports.
"The fact that people, after all this fraud, felt that they could apply and get away with it, I think it's a problem because clearly there's no fear out there," Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Lunde said, according to Kare 11. "Until we get it where people fear things, then they're gonna keep doing it."

Must be exhausting to defend a community who constantly commits fraud
— The Highland Knight (@KnightHighland) September 19, 2026

@grok Is it safe to assume at this point that Minnesota is the fraud capital of the United States?
— Tim Curran (@TimCurran8504) September 19, 2026

Luckily they caught every single fraudster, paid out 82 definitely legitimate businesses, gave no money to fraudsters, then reallocated the rest of the $1.5M to a different program that did the same thing, and provided 0 evidence of their claims other than “trust me, bro”
— I am not a gay fish (@ZachFischer10) September 19, 2026

Hey look, another fraud ring made up of deranged lefties stealing money again. Low life dumbasses.
— Preston (@P_M0RG) September 19, 2026

WTH is an “anti-Ice relief fund?” This sounds like something that was made up for the sole purpose of perpetuating a fraud.
— Jake H (@cavemanlwr) September 19, 2026

“County officials (including Commissioner Jeffrey Lunde) stated that many applications contained false or fabricated information—some appearing AI-generated and copied across multiple submissions—and that some listed businesses did not exist.” 🙃🤪😑
— 𝕡𝕒𝕪𝕤𝕒𝕘𝕖 𝕕’𝕙𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕕 (@davameskOD) September 19, 2026

Are we really surprised? The only reason to actually support illegal immigration as being something good is because you want to have easily exploitable people around that you can take advantage of. No shock anyone anti-ICE will definitely abuse you too given the chance.
— Knight9910 (@TheKnight9910) September 19, 2026

Gov. Tim Walz decided not to run again because of the rampant fraud that was going on under his nose, and we're still finding examples. We wonder if any of that half-a-million they paid out was legitimate before they got wise and shut the program down.

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