Former Minnesota Vikings captain and University of Minnesota standout Jack Brewer is speaking out about what he says he has witnessed firsthand in his home state—an unsettling transformation involving what he calls Minnesota’s “Somali elite.” And no, he’s not talking about mom-and-pop shops struggling to get by.
Brewer told Fox News Digital that he has personally done business with Somali-owned luxury car dealerships in Minnesota, places selling Bentleys and Maseratis. According to Brewer, many of the buyers are individuals he describes as Somali fraudsters, living a Beverly Hills lifestyle in a state with four months of decent weather—all funded, he says, by the American taxpayer.
As images of empty daycare centers spread nationwide, Minnesota has become the center of a growing scandal involving potentially billions of taxpayer dollars allegedly distributed fraudulently through members of the state’s Somali population. Brewer said he began noticing the shift years ago, as the Somali population in Minnesota rapidly expanded.
Brewer, who is married to a Muslim American legal immigrant, emphasized that his concerns are not rooted in religion or ethnicity. He credited his wife’s immigrant family for strengthening his own patriotism, noting that they came to America, assimilated, built businesses, and embraced the country’s values.
But Brewer said what he observed with the Somali population was different. He described how, beginning roughly 28 years ago, Somali communities grew quickly, developing their own sections of Minneapolis and gradually expanding their influence. By the time Brewer joined the Vikings in 2002, thousands of Minnesota students were already reporting Somali as their primary language at home.
Over the years, Brewer said his status as a professional athlete allowed him to see high-level financial transactions up close, including growing wealth among certain Somali immigrants and their increasing cultural and religious influence.
He pointed to public displays he found troubling, including political figures promoting Somalia over the United States and what he described as Islamic cultural impositions in Minneapolis. Brewer called it a “spiritual battle like we haven’t seen in a long time.”
A recent investigation cited by activists Ryan Thorpe and Christopher F. Rufo found that federal counterterrorism sources confirmed millions of dollars from programs such as Medicaid Housing Stabilization Services and Feeding Our Future were sent to Somalia, with concerns that terrorist group Al-Shabab may have received some of the funds.
The scale is significant. About 40% of households in Somalia receive remittances from abroad, and in 2023, the Somali diaspora reportedly sent $1.7 billion to the country—more than the Somali government’s own budget that year.
Minnesota has also seen the rise of prominent Somali politicians, including Rep. Ilhan Omar, state senators Omar Fateh and Zaynab Mohamed, and St. Louis Park Mayor Nadia Mohamed, all Democrats. Brewer accused these figures of embedding themselves into the political system and leveraging federal resources to fund campaigns, send money overseas, and support luxury developments—again, he says, on the taxpayer’s dime.
For Brewer, the situation is deeply personal. A former captain for both the Vikings and the Gophers, with undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Minnesota, he called this period one of the most embarrassing moments in the state’s history.
As a business owner, Brewer said he has moved many of his assets and investment interests out of Minnesota, citing conditions following the George Floyd riots and ongoing corruption concerns.
Some Somali residents have pushed back, saying the community is being unfairly stereotyped. CAIR Minnesota noted that many Somali Minnesotans work multiple jobs and still struggle financially, with 36% living below the poverty line between 2019 and 2023. Others stressed that successful Somali entrepreneurs exist but receive little attention.
Brewer acknowledged those realities and reaffirmed his support for patriotic, law-abiding immigrants, particularly those like his wife’s family who built their lives through hard work and loyalty to America.
But he also made clear what he wants next.
Brewer said he would support President Donald Trump taking drastic action, including freezing all immigration until the full extent of fraud and corruption is uncovered and removing foreign terrorists from the country through coordinated national effort.
For Brewer, the message is simple: America is built on opportunity—but that opportunity comes with responsibility. Protecting the nation, the taxpayer, and the rule of law, he argues, is the most patriotic thing the country can do.
