“I think we have a fraud problem that is much worse than California than it is in Minnesota,” Vance said in an interview Thursday, noting the head of US Small Business Administration gave him the shocking news.
“This is unfortunately a problem that is much bigger than Minnesota.”
The vice president also said efforts to block immigration enforcement were a uniquely blue-state phenomenon, adding that some Democratic-led states are engaged in a “small-scale civil war” with the federal government over immigration.
“You look at red states like Texas, but blue cities like Austin. You do not see this level of chaos over the enforcement of immigration laws,” he said.
His remarks come as governors like California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom have stepped up their opposition ICE activity.
Earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security launched a major fraud investigation in Minnesota targeting refugee applications, with officials reexamining thousands of cases and referring suspected violations to ICE.
The Trump administration has also paused federal child care funding to Minnesota, blaming alleged fraud in daycare programs, and has imposed new documentation requirements — including attendance records and receipts — before releasing payments to any state, CBS reported.
The vice president’s interview comes during his visit to Minneapolis following weeks of ICE protests. Thousands of people marched through the city chanting “ICE out,” carrying signs and demanding federal agents leave, even as temperatures plunged well below zero.
Vance said he was in the state to calm tensions, blaming the unrest on “far-left people”
“We’re doing everything that we can to lower the temperature,” he said, adding that Minnesota leaders should “meet us halfway.”
Vance also addressed backlash over the widely‑shared images of ICE detaining a 5‑year‑old boy.
Explaining that agents were trying to arrest the child’s father, who tried to flee.
Vance pointed to Don Lemon and other protestors storming a church in Minnesota as well as the killing of Renee Goode, saying “a small band of very far-left people” are trying to make ICE “the ultimate enemy,” including through assaults on officers and raids on churches.
Explaining that agents were trying to arrest the child’s father, who tried to flee.
“It’s absurd,” he said. “It’s added a lot of chaos.”
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