A Somali-run daycare in Minneapolis, Nokomis Day Care Center, was broken into overnight with managers reporting vandalism and the theft of “important documentation” including employee and child records, an incident that has rattled local parents and providers. Staff say the break-in happened between roughly 3 a.m. and 6 a.m., leaving parts of a wall gutted and an office door damaged. Police confirmed they responded after staff reported forced entry, and the community is demanding answers about both security and motive.
This alarming attack comes on the heels of a viral independent video by journalist Nick Shirley alleging widespread fraud at several Minnesota daycare centers, a video that ignited a firestorm and national scrutiny. Federal attention has followed, with the Department of Health and Human Services moving to freeze federal childcare payments to Minnesota pending proof the money went to legitimate care providers. The timing makes it impossible to ignore the link between public outrage over suspected criminality and real-world threats to lawful businesses.
Managers at Nokomis insist their center was not one of the facilities featured in the video, yet they say the center has received hateful and threatening messages in recent days and now faces the real damage of stolen records. While officials say the center had corrected minor licensing violations in October, the theft of enrollment and employee files is a serious breach that will disrupt care and could put families at risk. No one should tolerate intimidation or lawlessness against any small business, especially one caring for children, but neither should allegations of fraud be swept under the rug.
Americans who believe in the rule of law understand two things at once: communities must be protected from targeted attacks, and taxpayers deserve full accountability for how their dollars are spent. Reports suggest fraud in Minnesota childcare programs could be vast, with federal prosecutors already charging dozens of people in related probes, which proves the problem is not imaginary and must be treated as criminal if substantiated. Political leaders who reflexively defend every accused provider without demanding evidence are doing a disservice to hardworking families and honest providers alike.
The federal freeze on payments is a blunt instrument, but one that forces a broken system to show its books; Minnesota received roughly $185 million in childcare payments in 2025, and the public has a right to see that money going to real kids, not fraudsters. If state oversight failed, state officials must answer for it and cooperate with investigators to restore trust and keep funds flowing to legitimate centers. At the same time, those who vandalized and stole records must be hunted down and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law to deter this kind of intimidation.
Patriotic Americans should demand both law and order and accountability—protecting small businesses and immigrant entrepreneurs from vigilante attacks while also ensuring that taxpayers are not footing the bill for fraud. Lawmakers in Washington and leaders in Minnesota must act swiftly: restore security to centers caring for children, make agencies produce transparent audits, and bring fraudsters and violent vandals to justice. The answer is not to look the other way, but to stand up for honest providers, punish criminals, and fix a system that allowed this mess to fester.
