Recently, Minnesota was shaken by a series of fraud scandals. At first, this fraud just looked like a massive waste of taxpayer money. But now, for those of us with disabilities, we see that the impact of fraud is hitting way beyond our wallets. It is threatening our lives.

The initial fraud itself was bad. But now state and federal crackdowns on fraud and immigration, while well intentioned, are compounding the pain for vulnerable Minnesotans. Here is a breakdown of how we got here.

A Timeline of Fraud and Consequences

The current crisis didn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of years of systemic failures, pandemic-era funding mistakes, and short-sighted responses.

Early Warning Signs (Pre-2020s)

For over a decade, reports from state auditors and investigative journalists have raised questions about fraud in Minnesota Medicaid programs. However, it is unclear whether these questions were ever adequately addressed or if they were mostly ignored.

The Pandemic Surge and Feeding Our Future (2020-2022)

The COVID-19 pandemic saw an influx of federal aid and a loosening of regulations to get help to people quickly. This was necessary to address the overwhelming needs of the pandemic. But it also created an opening for criminal behavior. The most well-known example was the “Feeding Our Future” scandal, a $250 million scheme centered on federal child nutrition funds. While not directly a disability service, the sheer scale of this fraud triggered a panicked, widespread crackdown across Minnesota.

The Crackdown Widens (2023-2024)

Following the revelations of child nutrition fraud, state and federal authorities launched investigations into other Minnesota Medicaid programs. These included:

• Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention (EIDBI): This is a program for children with autism. People were committing fraud by billing for services never provided.
• Housing Stabilization Services (HSS): This program is designed to help seniors and people with disabilities find housing. Fraud was committed when people billed for nonexistent services and clients.
• Personal Care Assistance (PCA) and Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS): Investigations found some incorrect and inflated billing.

The Human Cost of a Blunt-Force Response (Late 2024 – Present)

This is where the story becomes tragic for people with disabilities. In an effort to stop the fraud, Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) suspended payments to providers suspected of wrongdoing. The problem? There was no plan for the people those providers legitimately served.

• Sudden Evictions and Loss of Care: Minnesota paused payments to dozens of Integrated Community Supports (ICS) providers in late 2024. These programs are designed to help adults with disabilities live more independently. Clients reported receiving notices to vacate their homes with no transition plan in place.
• A Preventable Death: The consequences of the response turned deadly in December 2025. A man receiving services through a provider whose payments had been paused was found dead in his apartment. Providers and advocates had pleaded with the state not to halt payments without a transition plan, warning that clients might fall through the cracks. This tragic event showed the lethal danger of a policy that prioritizes speed over ensuring client safety.
• Greater Minnesota in Crisis: The impact spread beyond the Twin Cities metro. As detailed by Northern News Now on January 15, 2026, the collapse of PCA services in Duluth has forced families into impossible situations. One Duluth husband shared his story of being forced to leave his normal job to become a full-time caregiver for his wife after her PCA service agency was shuttered.
• Moratorium on New Services: As part of its anti-fraud effort, Minnesota DHS announced a two-year pause on issuing new licenses for group homes for people with disabilities. This move, intended to let the state catch up on oversight, further constricts the already limited housing and service options for those in need.

The Added Terror of ICE Enforcement

The crisis is compounded for immigrants with disabilities, who face a double threat from state fraud investigations and federal immigration enforcement.

Destabilizing the Care Workforce

A significant portion of Minnesota’s direct care workforce consists of immigrants. Increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and an overall anti-immigrant climate have created an atmosphere of fear. Many care workers are afraid to go to work, leading to worsening staff shortages that leave people with disabilities—citizens and non-citizens alike—without essential daily care.

Danger in Detention

For people with disabilities who are detained by ICE, the situation is dire. Reports have shown problems providing medical care, assistive devices, and communication accommodations like interpreters in detention centers to people with disabilities. This neglect can lead to severe health deterioration. Also, ICE has a history of unsafe releases, abandoning individuals with disabilities at bus stations or on streets without medication, money, or a way to contact caregivers, essentially leaving them to fend for themselves in a dangerous and unfamiliar environment. A group of doctors recently gathered at the Minnesota State Capitol to protest ICE presence in hospitals and medical clinics.

Escalation to Violence

The atmosphere of fear has turned into one of lethal danger following two high-profile shootings by federal agents in Minneapolis this month. These incidents have shattered the sense of safety for caregivers and vulnerable residents alike.

• The Killing of Renee Good (January 7, 2026): The community was rocked when an ICE agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good in her vehicle in South Minneapolis. While the Federal Department of Homeland Security initially claimed she attempted to run over agents, video evidence and witness accounts contradict this, showing her attempting to drive away from the confrontation.
• The Killing of Alex Pretti (January 24, 2026): On January 24, the violence continued when an agent killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center. The Federal Department of Homeland Security claimed he was armed and resisting, but bystander video appears to contradict these claims.

A Call for a Human-Centered Approach

Fraud in our public programs is unacceptable. It steals from taxpayers and, most cruelly, from the people these programs are meant to serve. But the government’s response cannot be to victimize the disability community a second time.

A “stop payment first, ask questions later” approach is cruel and unfair. The government must have a coordinated, proactive plan to ensure the continuity of care and housing for every single person whose provider is under investigation. No one should face homelessness or death because their provider is accused of wrongdoing.

Similarly, federal immigration policies that target life-saving caregivers, shoot nurses and citizens in our streets, and deny basic human rights to detainees with disabilities are contrary to Minnesotan and American values.

We will continue to speak up for Minnesotans with disabilities. It’s not too much to ask for a system that protects taxpayer dollars without sacrificing the lives, dignity, and independence of Minnesotans with disabilities. We will not be collateral damage.