Tipsheet

Brandon Gill Once Destroyed This Democrat Talking Point About Somalis

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  July 20, 2026 2:00 PM

The Democrats have gone all-in on defending the Somalis in Minnesota, despite the fact that they bring crime and massive amounts of welfare fraud to the communities in which they live. Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan called Somalis the 'fabric of the community,' and Mayor Jacob Frey choked down some Somali food to show his tolerance for diversity. 

Back in December, media outlet KSTP tried to run the math about what Somalis contribute to the community, claiming they generate at least $500 million in income annually and pay about $67 in state and local taxes.

That claim didn't hold up to basic scrutiny, however, when you look at how many Somalis are on some form of welfare, and the $9 billion (at least) in stolen taxpayer dollars. That's why this post from Rep. Brandon Gill is making the rounds on X again, because he destroys those talking points with one simple question.

During a previous House Oversight Committee, Gill asked, "Does large-scale Somali immigration make Minnesota stronger or weaker?"

The witness replied, "Certainly stronger."

"Certainly stronger," Gill said. "Do you know what percentage of Somali-headed households in Minnesota are on food stamps? 54 percent. Do you know what that number is for native Minnesota-headed households? It's seven percent. There's a big difference between 54 percent and seven percent, is there not?"

The witness got testy. "Excuse me, sir, could I answer the question?"

Gill would not let him. "Let me move on. We've got a lot of questions here. What percentage of Somali-headed households in Minnesota are on Medicaid? It's 73 percent," Gill said. "Do you know what that number is for Minnesota native households?"

"Again, you're using the phrase Minnesota native households, but the majority—" the witness interjected.

"The number is 18 percent," Gill said. "That's quite an astounding difference. I think we would agree. Let me ask you one more: what percentage of Somali-headed households are on welfare in general? It's 81 percent. Let me just ask you, after ten years of being in the United States, what percentage of Somali immigrant households continue to be on welfare?"

"I don't know," the witness replied.

"The number is 78 percent," Gill said. "So even after ten years, 78 of Somali immigrant households continue to be on welfare. Do you know what that number is for native Minnesota-headed households? Non-Somali immigrant-headed households?"

"Nevertheless, the welfare usage is astoundingly different," Gill continued. "Let me ask you again: does that make Minnesota stronger or weaker?"

This is ridiculous and should not be tolerated.

Excellent imagery.

Disgusting.

There are a great many problems.

Yes, it is.

And while this clip is older, it's worth remembering exactly what's going on in Minnesota, and how the Democrats responded to billions of dollars of fraud. They facilitated it, looked the other way, or attacked those brave enough to point it out.