Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said Thursday on Newsmax’s "National Report" that while Immigration and Customs Enforcement may reduce its footprint in Minnesota, “we will see a decreased presence, we will not see the end to the ICE engagements, which is really important.”
Ernst, a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, made the remarks as anti-ICE protests and federal officers continue clashing, and border czar Tom Homan was sent to address the situation.
“The president wants to make sure that these communities are safe from those that are here illegally,” Ernst said, emphasizing that enforcement must continue targeting “those criminal illegal aliens, the rapists, the murderers, the child predators.”
Ernst said she welcomed Homan’s involvement, stressing the importance of coordination with local authorities.
“It is important that those actions continue to move forward, but be done in conjunction and collaboration with local law enforcement officials,” she said. “So I'm really glad that Tom Homan is there. He will be able to work with those local authorities, but still make sure that we are apprehending the worst of the worst.”
During the interview, Ernst also addressed fraud scandals in Minnesota tied to welfare and social services programs, saying the scale of alleged fraud is staggering.
“It's estimated to be upwards to $9 billion, perhaps even more dollars of taxpayer money that's been sucked up in these schemes,” she said.
Ernst said she is introducing legislation aimed at forcing fraudsters to repay taxpayers while also tightening oversight to prevent scams before they start.
“What I'm proposing is a bill that would go after these fraudsters, one enabling the federal government to claw back the money, recover that money,” she said. “But two, let's stop it in the first place.”
She pointed specifically to childcare-related fraud schemes, arguing the government should verify “actual attendance of children” rather than relying on enrollment numbers, and called for “random checks” and possible reimbursement reforms to avoid upfront federal payouts.
“We just need to simply close a lot of these loopholes,” she said, adding, “if you are committing fraud, we're going to come after you. We're going to make sure we get those dollars back.”
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