While the outrage surrounding the Somali day care center scam has largely subsided, there may be an even deeper scandal going on in Minnesota than initially meets the eye, with tentacles reaching across the globe.
Over the past two years, the Department of Homeland Security has reported that approximately $700 million in cash has been flown out of the Minneapolis airport in suitcases to far-flung destinations. This enormous sum has been largely tied to Somali nationals.
No one knows where this money has come from or where it is going, but here’s the most alarming part: This activity is not currently illegal. To address the national security risks posed by this clandestine movement of funds, I have introduced legislation that will tighten TSA regulations for noncitizens transporting cash through American airports and allow us to literally follow the money.
IMMIGRATION FRAUD FACES CONGRESSIONAL SCRUTINY FOLLOWING MASSIVE SOMALI SCAMS
My legislation, the Stop Somali Currency Airport Smuggling through Hawalas Fraud Act, will strengthen the customs form for noncitizens taking cash out of the country to ensure we know who is moving it and why. The bill will require disclosure of whether the cash was received from a government contract or benefit program, and additional information about both the individual transporting the cash and the recipient. By requiring the form to be filed 72 hours in advance, my legislation will give U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents time to fully vet the form before allowing noncitizens to leave our country carrying large sums of money. This legislation offers a necessary update so that illegal immigrants can no longer legally fly out of the United States to their home countries with suitcases full of cash.
Current U.S. law only requires those traveling out of the country to declare cash in excess of $10,000. Furthermore, the current customs form does not require individuals to disclose the source of the cash, meaning we have no way to know whether the money was obtained through licit means. Increasing reports of government fraud in Minnesota suggest that this money may be coming from illegitimate sources. It is also quite possible that these millions are bolstering the arsenal of al Shabaab, an active terrorist affiliate of al Qaeda that has previously been linked to Somali nationals living in Minneapolis. The current laws on the books should be brought up to date to rectify this loophole.
The Government Accountability Office estimates that the U.S. loses somewhere between $223 billion and $500 billion every year from fraud and improper payments. This means nearly $1,500 is lost every year to fraud for every person in the U.S. This number is mind-boggling, especially considering that our national debt sits at nearly $39 trillion. Given the sheer volume of fraud, taxpayers deserve to know where those billions of dollars are going and what sorts of enterprises they might be financing.
WALZ SAYS HE WOULD ‘WELCOME MORE’ SOMALIS AS FRAUD INVESTIGATION INTENSIFIES
The volume of cash that noncitizens are permitted to legally carry through airports should raise alarm bells. With demonstrated ties between Somali nationals in Minnesota and the al Shabaab terrorist organization, it is highly concerning that the U.S. is allowing these individuals to legally transfer such large sums of cash back to their home countries. Especially considering the amount of government fraud committed in the U.S. every year, noncitizens should not be able to legally transport large sums of cash without additional vetting.
By passing my Stop Somali Currency Airport Smuggling through Hawalas Fraud Act, we can halt the hundreds of millions of dollars that flow through our airports in suitcases that may one day be used to fund an attack on Americans.