The manager of a Somali-owned day care center in Minnesota said Wednesday that critical records tied to children’s enrollment and employee files were missing after a break-in at the facility.
“Unfortunately, we saw that there was important documentation, enrollment of the children, and also employee documentation that was gone. There were also checkbooks that were ripped from our check papers, that ripped from our book. This is devastating news, and we don’t know why this is targeting our Somali community,” said Nasrulah Mohamed, manager of Nokomis Daycare Center, during a press conference.
The Minneapolis Police Department told local outlet FOX 9 that the center reported the break-in Tuesday morning. Preliminary information indicates the incident occurred overnight while the facility was closed. Newsweek has contacted the department for additional comment.
Why It Matters
Minnesota day care centers have recently drawn attention as several facilities have been connected to ongoing fraud prosecutions in the state. Nokomis Daycare Center has not been accused of any fraud by prosecutors.
The center has previously been cited for violations, including incomplete staff training and hazardous objects accessible to children. According to the Minnesota Department of Human Services, the facility submitted corrective documentation that the agency approved.
Federal prosecutors have said more than 60 people have been convicted of fraud statewide, with more than 90 charged. Many defendants are of East African descent and are believed to be part of Minnesota’s Somali immigrant community, the largest in the United States.
President Donald Trump has made negative comments about Somalis living in the U.S. after the conservative outlet City Journal claimed that taxpayer dollars from defrauded government programs were directed to the Somali group al-Shabab. On Tuesday, Deputy Health and Human Services Secretary Jim O’Neill said on X that the agency had frozen all child care payments to the state of Minnesota.
What to Know
Mohamed said he received a call from the day care’s owner on Tuesday reporting alleged vandalism at the facility. According to Mohamed, an individual broke into the back kitchen and damaged a wall, then forced entry into the office area.
He also said the center has been “receiving hateful messages through our voice notes, threatening us, for the past couple of days,” including a message received after the break-in.
“This is frightening and exhausting, because this is happening to us Somali communities as Somali Americans. We are supposed to stand with each other and help each other through everything that’s happening,” Mohamed said.
After news of the incident spread, Trump wrote on Truth Social: “A total FRAUD! Minnesota Somali-run day care bizarrely reports all their important documents about child care were stolen in mysterious break-in.”
What People Are Saying
The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) raised concerns about the broader implications of the incident. Executive Director Jaylani Hussein said in a statement that the break-in highlights the real-world impact of online hate speech targeting Somali, immigrant, and Muslim communities.
“When misinformation and dehumanizing rhetoric about an entire community are allowed to spread unchecked, acts of intimidation and vandalism become more likely,” Hussein said.
What Happens Next
CAIR-MN is calling for a thorough investigation into the motive behind the reported vandalism at Nokomis Daycare Center. Hussein said there are “serious questions about whether bias played a role in the vandalism, and those questions deserve a thorough investigation by law enforcement authorities.”
