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As I continue my Walk Across America, a million-step journey for merit and the restoration of the American Dream, I’ve been reflecting on the devastating news pouring out of Minnesota. There, the controversy continues to rage over a series of high-profile allegations and investigations into widespread fraud in government-funded social services programs, disproportionately involving members of Minnesota’s large Somali American community.
I’ve seen the headlines about more than a billion dollars allegedly scammed from hardworking American taxpayers and given to day care centers with no children. The same goes for autism therapy, housing programs and Medicaid.
But recently, a video has been circulating on social media that has angered me and reminded me of why this Walk Across America is so important. In this video, a young Somali American woman proudly declares that her community is “successful” in America. However, this success is not through entrepreneurship or innovation, but through mastering the system of government assistance.
As I walk on toward the West Coast, I will continue to pray for merit and the renewal of the American Dream — for every immigrant and every native-born citizen.
This same woman claimed that nearly 89% of Somali immigrant households with children in Minnesota rely on some form of welfare. She proudly claimed that this figure remains alarmingly high at around 86% for those who have been living in the U.S. for more than a decade.
MAGNITUDE ‘CANNOT BE OVERSTATED’: FEDS SAY MINNESOTA FRAUD MAY BE MORE THAN $9B
By contrast, only 21% of native-headed households are on some form of welfare. Twenty-seven percent of Somali-headed households in Minnesota are on cash welfare versus 6% for natives. Fifty-four percent of Somali-headed households are on food stamps versus 7% for natives. And 73% of Somali-headed households are on Medicaid versus 18% for natives.
Brothers and sisters, this is not success. This is exploitation. This is robbery by another name. Most of all, this is the worst of all dependencies — willful dependency.
As a pastor who has spent years on Chicago’s South Side fighting to break cycles of poverty and violence through Project H.O.O.D., I know dependency all too well. It’s a trap that robs people of dignity, stifles dreams, and weakens communities. But to find pride in it? To exploit it to the point of “success?” That’s sinful. That is anti-American in values.
WALKING ACROSS AMERICA SHOWED ME WHY FAITH AND FREE THOUGHT CAN STILL WIN
I also blame the Americans who allowed this exploitation to take place. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have taken the white guilt approach, calling anyone who objects to this exploitation a white supremacist.
Fine, call me a white supremacist, as they did with Larry Elder. Who cares? We can’t back down from these Americans. You saw how they allowed Black Lives Matter to overtake our nation in 2020. Are we going to allow them to railroad us here once again? Are we that soft? These white guilt Americans have been undermining our great nation since the 1960s, and they are destroyers of merit — the great principle that built our nation.
LOEFFLER: VAST NETWORK OF SOMALI NONPROFITS RIPPED OFF MINNESOTA’S WELFARE STATE
Despite all of this, there’s another side to this story that gives me hope. On my Walk Across America, I’ve walked alongside immigrants from all over — Latinos, Asians, Africans — who came with nothing but faith, determination, and, most of all, the desire to live as free Americans. They opened businesses, raised families, and contributed mightily to their communities. They understood the American promise: Work hard, trust in God, and opportunity will follow.
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That’s the hope I’ve held onto on this journey. America thrives when we reward merit and responsibility, not entitlement. Policies that concentrate refugees in enclaves, discourage assimilation, or incentivize dependency do no favors to anyone. They hinder the very people they’re meant to help and burden hardworking taxpayers.
As I walk on toward the West Coast, I will continue to pray for merit and the renewal of the American Dream — for every immigrant and every native-born citizen. Let’s teach skills, build families, and foster faith. Let’s reject the victimhood that keeps people down and embrace the opportunity that lifts us all up.
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But first, we must punish those who exploited the dollars of the American worker with such impunity. Let them become an example to the rest of us. That is one necessary step we must take if we are to truly restore and repair the American Dream.
May God bless our steps, and may He bless the United States of America.
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