Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, told attendees at a Somali Networking Night event that Somali migrants in the city are the “CEOs of the future,” framing federal scrutiny of the community earlier this year as a response to the economic success Somali residents are building in Minneapolis.
“You saw quite directly back in January and February a federal government that was coming after a whole community, and our incredible Somali people. I think one of the reasons that they were coming after you is they saw the kind of economy and entrepreneurship that you’re helping to build,” Frey told the crowd. “They saw suddenly that the CEOs of the future are not all gonna look like me. The CEOs of the future are going to be from a thousand different backgrounds.”
Frey went further, telling attendees their influence was already being felt. “Suddenly, you all are creeping up in brilliant fashion. You’re not just the CEOs and entrepreneurs of tomorrow, but of right now,” he said. “You are showing that.”
The Federal Backdrop
Frey’s remarks reference a period in January when President Donald Trump told reporters that Somalis were defrauding the United States government out of roughly $19 billion. “The Somalians are ripping off our country, to the tune of, looks like $19 billion, but that’s only what they can find,” Trump said at the time, adding that his administration would move to cut off funding tied to what he described as Somali-related fraud in states including California, Illinois, and Minnesota.
Trump’s comments followed reporting from citizen journalists who flagged what they described as potential Somali fraud involving taxpayer-funded programs in Washington, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. In December 2025, citizen journalist Nick Shirley posted a video documenting visits to several Minnesota childcare centers that he said had collectively received millions of dollars in federal aid. Shirley’s footage showed no apparent signs of children present at the facilities he visited.
Frey’s comments did not directly address the specific fraud allegations or the childcare center investigations. His remarks were delivered in the context of celebrating Somali entrepreneurship and community contributions in Minneapolis, which has one of the largest Somali populations of any U.S. city.
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