Press Releases
Carter, Blackburn Lead Colleagues in Introducing Bicameral Legislation to Deport and Denaturalize Fraudsters Following Minnesota Somali Schemes
Washington,
January 8, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) today introduced the House of Representative’s companion to U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn’s (R-TN) Fraud Accountability Act, which would explicitly add fraud as a deportable offense under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The bill would also make clear that any person who commits a deportable offense, now explicitly including fraud, would be subject to denaturalization.
Original co-sponsors of the House bill include Reps. Tony Wied (R-WI) and Mike Kelly (R-PA).
“Any alien or naturalized citizen who comes to the United States to defraud American taxpayers does not deserve to be here,” said Rep. Carter. “Tim Walz’s socialist Minnesota allowed both immigration and social programs to run unchecked, resulting in $9 billion worth of fraud that directly harms Minnesotans' access to childcare, nutrition, and other programs and may have funded terrorist activity overseas. Every immigrant involved in these schemes should be deported, and I thank Senator Blackburn for her leadership to ensure we welcome folks with integrity, not criminals.”
“Anyone who comes to the United States and steals from American taxpayers by committing fraud should be deported,” said Senator Blackburn. “The fraud schemes we have seen in Minnesota and across the country are a betrayal of hardworking American taxpayers, and individuals like the Somali scammers in Minnesota should be subject to both deportation and denaturalization for these crimes. The Fraud Accountability Act would hold these criminals accountable for robbing American taxpayers.”
U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Tom Cotton (R-AR), and Tedd Budd (R-NC) joined Senator Blackburn in introducing the bill in the Senate.
“The rampant and unprecedented fraud uncovered in Minnesota involving Somali-run childcare centers and nonprofits is unconscionable, and Governor Walz’s complete deflection of any responsibility for this massive theft of U.S. taxpayer dollars under his watch is cowardly but unsurprising,” said Senator Cornyn. “Anyone who attempts to get rich at the expense of American taxpayers should be ashamed and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law, and I’m proud to introduce this bill with Senator Blackburn to ensure any illegal alien who is convicted of fraud faces swift deportation for their flagrant abuse of taxpayer funds.”
“It’s completely unacceptable to waste Arkansas taxpayer dollars on fraudulent government programs,” said Senator Cotton. “Any alien who commits fraud against American taxpayers should be deported immediately.”
“North Carolina taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to foot the bill for blatant fraud schemes across the country,” said Senator Budd. “If government programs using taxpayer dollars are not run responsibly, we must ensure those who steal taxpayer dollars are held accountable.”
The Fraud Accountability Act would:
This bill boasts support by NumbersUSA:
“Our current immigration system is vulnerable to fraud, and as evidenced, unsustainable numbers can overwhelm the system and impact Americans and our communities. This bill holds those committing fraud against the U.S. accountable and serves as a reminder that immigration is a privilege, not a right,” said NumbersUSA Co-President Michael Hough.
Read the full bill text here.
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