The Donald Trump administration announced on Monday that it would audit immigration cases involving Somali-American citizens to detect fraudulent activities that could lead to denaturalization or revocation of citizenship.

"Under U.S. law, if an individual obtained citizenship through fraud, it is grounds for denaturalization," Tricia McLaughlin, the acting deputy assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement. The statement was first reported by Fox News and reposted on social media by the White House.

Denaturalization cases are rare and can take years, Reuters reported. According to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, about 11 such cases were processed annually from 1990 to 2017.

Since taking office in January, President Trump, a Republican, has pursued aggressive immigration policies, including stepped-up deportations, visa and green card revocations, and scrutiny of immigrants' social media posts and past statements.

Human rights groups have widely condemned Trump's policies as oppressive to rights such as due process and freedom of speech. Trump and his allies argue that these policies aim to enhance national security.

In recent weeks, federal authorities have portrayed the Somali-American community in Minnesota as a hotbed for fraudulent schemes involving billions of dollars in federal funds allocated for social welfare services.

Immigrant rights advocates say the administration is using fraud investigations as a pretext to more broadly target Somali immigrants.

However, the issue has recently surged into national attention, with videos alleging fraud uncovered by influencer Nick Shirley during a one-day investigation in the Minneapolis area sparking widespread controversy.

FBI Assistant Director Kash Patel stated Sunday that the Trump administration has "concentrated resources and personnel" in Minnesota for recent fraud investigations targeting Somali immigrants in the state.

The Department of Health and Human Services also separately announced Tuesday that it had frozen all childcare payments to Minnesota. It added that all future payments from HHS's Administration for Children and Families nationwide would require "submission of supporting documentation and receipts or photographic evidence before funds are released to the state."

In response, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat, countered that the state has "been working for years to crack down on fraud" and accused President Trump of "politicizing this issue to cut the budget for programs that help Minnesotans."

However, a daycare center that Governor Walz's office had stated was closed was visited by Nick Shirley just hours after its closure was announced, raising further questions.

By Sung Ku Hong, Chief Editor of NNP USA / Special Correspondent NNP info@newsandpost.com