Feds, state execute search warrants at Twin Cities daycares and autism centers
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The Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday that it executed search warrants in the Twin Cities as part of an ongoing criminal investigation related to fraud.
The state Department of Children, Youth, and Families confirmed the operation — and said state and county officials were involved.
“Today’s law enforcement actions are a result of state, county and federal agencies working together to root out fraud and hold bad actors accountable,” the state agency said in a statement Tuesday morning, without providing further details on the fraud allegations.
“We are pleased to see the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and our federal partners taking strong action based on information we have shared with them,” the statement continued. “We will continue sharing information with law enforcement to ensure they are able to conduct thorough criminal investigations.”
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Search warrants can yield information in an investigation but don't always lead to criminal charges. Authorities had not charged or arrested anyone as of 4 p.m. Tuesday.
State and federal agencies have long worked together on criminal investigations — but the apparent cooperation in Tuesday’s operation was notable, given the tensions and conflict between state and federal officials during the federal immigration enforcement surge earlier this year.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — who is set to give his final State of the State address on Tuesday night — issued a statement saying that “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,” Walz said.
In a statement posted to social media on Tuesday morning, DHS said the criminal investigation related to “the rampant fraud of U.S. taxpayers dollars.”
“The American people deserve answers in how their taxpayer money was abused,” DHS said in a social media post.
The agency said it carried out the warrants “in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area” in cooperation with local and state law enforcement agencies. It did not release further details about the location and nature of the search warrants, citing the safety of law enforcement officers.
MPR News journalists observed federal and state law enforcement officials outside two childcare centers in south Minneapolis — including one where officials eventually hauled boxes of materials out of the building.
Sources told KARE 11 that authorities carried out more than 20 search warrants on Tuesday, focused on childcare and daycare providers. Several centers that work with people with autism also were part of the operation.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office said its Medicare Fraud Control Unit participated in serving warrants Tuesday at five sites that serve people younger than 21 who have autism spectrum disorder. Those five sites are located in Mendota Heights, Savage, Fridley and Minneapolis.
Ellison’s office said it was not involved in search warrants at childcare facilities, because those sites do not involve Medicaid.
The city of Minneapolis issued a statement saying it was not involved in the operation — and that as of 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Minneapolis police hadn’t been asked to assist in the execution of the warrants.
“We understand that any federal actions in our neighborhoods may spark fear among residents, and we will continue to marshal city resources to help the community in the aftermath of Operation Metro Surge,” the city statement read.
The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday that it has a task force officer assigned to the FBI’s Evidence Response Team, which was part of the operation. The sheriff’s office also said it had “two marked squad cars on two scenes to secure the perimeter as part of this criminal investigation. Perimeters help ensure the safety of both the community and the law enforcement officers who are executing the criminal warrants.”
“Our office works with local, state, and federal agencies on criminal investigations,” the sheriff’s office said.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension confirmed that it was partnering with federal investigators to execute search warrants Tuesday, but declined further comment.
In a statement Tuesday morning, Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota applauded the law enforcement operation.
“President Trump and his administration have made it crystal clear — our country will not tolerate waste, fraud, and abuse, and we are not going to allow people to take advantage of Americans’ generosity,” Emmer wrote.
Tuesday’s law enforcement activity took place less than four months after the White House escalated what it called Operation Metro Surge, sending thousands of federal agents into the Twin Cities in January to conduct immigration enforcement.
Two Minneapolis residents were fatally shot by federal agents during Operation Metro Surge — and state officials sharply criticized a lack of cooperation from federal agencies in the investigations into those shootings.
