A Minnesota Democratic state senator apologized to the state’s Somali population following allegations that Somalis were responsible for committing billions in fraud.
Organizer Asad Aliwed put together the event Dec. 12 at the Irshad Islamic Center in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Eden Prairie Local News reported. Democratic state Sens. Ann Johnson Stewart and Steve Cwodzinski tearfully shared their apology and offered support to a mosque full of Somalians on Friday. They were accompanied by Eden Prairie Mayor Ron Case, who ran in a nonpartisan election.
“We are heartbroken by the horrible actions of our government, and we want you to know that at the state level, we will do all that we can to support you,” Stewart could be heard saying in a video shared by Somali TV of Minnesota. (RELARED: Minnesota AG Brags About ‘Shutting Down’ Scammers After Somalians Robbed State Of Billions)
“Whether you live in our district or not, we are here,” Stewart said through tears. “We are 100% committed to helping you. You are welcome here, you belong here and we are here for you. I apologize, I have to leave for another commitment.”
“We’re all being tested. And what will we rise to the top, and how will we enrich America and how will we enter the portal after this and bring all the good and joy and rapture that I know we’re capable of as people on the planet Earth,” Cwodzinski added, going on to refence the Statue of Liberty.
“That’s what America is all about. We’re not a nation of ‘we’re all the same.’ We’re a nation of immigrants. We’re a nation of diversity. That’s our strength, not our weakness,” Cwodzinski continued. “I really don’t know what to say.”
“You add so much to the fabric of our culture,” Case said, adding that the city would work to make sure they feel welcome.
Aliweyd thanked the speakers, according to Eden Prairie Local News “As you see, we are part of the fabric of Eden Praire. We are part of Minnesota. We are not garbage, we are human beings,” he said.
The apology session followed President Donald Trump’s labeling of Somalia as a “garbage” country after Somalis allegedly stole billions of dollars from Minnesota. U.S. Assistant Attorney Joe Thompson said Dec. 18 that fraudsters may have stolen up to $9 billion from the state’s Medicaid programs since 2018.
A report also alleged that much of the money was sent back to Somalia, where some of it landed in the hands of the terrorist organization Al-Shabaab.
In early December, the Trump administration was also reportedly launching “strike teams” of federal officers in Minnesota’s largest cities to deport any illegal immigrants.
Aman Ali, a resident, told Eden Prairie Local News that the accusations were “misinformation,” adding that they were “being used as a scapegoat.”
“Hearing the president of the United States directly say those things day in and day out, it’s racism,” Ali said. “It’s absolutely harmful, and it’s deeply dehumanizing the whole community of people, you know, it hurts. It really does hurt to the core.”
In a statement to the Daily Caller, Mayor Case said that only .1% of all 80,000 Minnesota Somalis have been indicted or prosecuted in relation to the recent scandal, adding that none in his town, where the event took place, has been implicated in any of the schemes.
Case said that the government should be focused on supporting the “99+% of all our residents who are law-abiding, while we aggressively work to pursue ‘criminal activity’ among the very few who choose to break our laws.”
The Daily Caller has reached out to Sens. Stewart and Cwodzinski for comment.
