YouTuber Nick Shirley Reveals Alleged Fraud at Somali-Linked Minnesota Daycares

A video investigation published by independent journalist Nick Shirley on December 26 alleged many daycare facilities in Minnesota that received millions of dollars in public subsidies are fraudulent operations without children present.

The Details: Shirley was joined by a man he identified as "David," who he says has been investigating the alleged fraud for years now. David claims he started to frequently notice daycares without children and child transports that had a Somali driver but no children in the care. David said Minnesota funds 1,020 "non-emergency medical transportation" businesses, of which more than 800 are Somali-owned, and that there is no oversight on the legitimacy of the businesses. The video and clips from it spread virally online, and the FBI said it is now investigating the alleged scheme.

Key Clip: One clip that circulated virally on X showed Shirley and David outside a daycare (apparently erroneously) named the "Quality Learing Center" that David claimed received $4 million in government funding over the past two years.

For Context: Earlier this month, three separate investigations found that an estimated $1 billion in public funds have been stolen from Minnesota's safety net programs over the past five years. The New York Times (Lean Left bias) said the fraud took root "in pockets of Minnesota's Somali diaspora." Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D), who is up for reelection in 2026, has often been criticized over the findings. President Trump has since sharply criticized Somalis in the US, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has ramped up its efforts in Minnesota.

How The Media Covered It: The story was not the most widely covered by mainstream media, though some major outlets across the spectrum covered it. Several outlets from the left and center, such as The Guardian (Left), Forbes (Center), and Reuters (Center), framed the Trump administration as using the fraud allegations against Somalis as a cudgel to target Somali immigrants. Axios (Lean Left) described Nick Shirley as "MAGA-friendly." Mediaite (Lean Left) criticized MS NOW (Left) and CNN (Lean Left) for not covering the story. Townhall (Right) and Fox News (Right) both framed Shirley's reporting as novel and bold.

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