Federal agents return to Minneapolis to target daycares for suspected fraud

Politics Months after Operation Metro Surge, federal agents return to Minneapolis to target daycares for suspected fraud By Jonah Kaplan Jonah Kaplan Investigative Reporter Jonah Kaplan is an award-winning journalist who has built a strong reputation for his balanced reporting, thoughtful interviews, and deeply researched coverage of high-impact issues affecting the community. His work appears on all of WCCO's newscasts and is often featured on CBS News' programs and platforms, including the CBS Evening News, CBS Mornings and CBS 24/7. Read Full Bio Jonah Kaplan April 28, 2026 / 8:45 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Teams of federal agents once again swarmed sections of Minneapolis early Tuesday morning, multiple officials confirmed to CBS News, exercising search warrants at several childcare centers for suspected fraud.No one was arrested in the raids — a stark contrast from last winter's immigration crackdown during Operation Metro Surge — but the sweeping law enforcement activity did appear to signal a refocused effort on the part of federal authorities to investigate the billion-dollar COVID-era fraud schemes in Minnesota that had once drawn the Trump administration's attention and ire. "Today the FBI with federal, state and local law enforcement is involved in court-authorized law enforcement activity as part of an ongoing fraud investigation," a Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday.Since 2021, 92 people have been charged in the schemes, with 67 convicted, including five people who pleaded guilty last month for their roles in the Feeding Our Future scandal that exploited a federal nutrition program.  "I am proud of our team of prosecutors, federal agents, and law enforcement partners who continue to expose the rampant fraud in Minnesota," U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen said on March 20.Rosen declined comment on Tuesday.A CBS News Minnesota crew witnessed about a dozen agents operating at th...