Brave YouTuber Uncovers Somali ‘Fraudsters’ and Faces Intimidation from Activists, Seeks Support for Security Costs

Nick Shirley, a right-wing influencer recognized for his controversial videos about the Somali community in Minnesota, recently appeared on Fox News to request assistance from his followers in funding private security due to alleged threats from left-wing activists.

Shirley has relocated his operations to California, where he claims to have uncovered over $170 million in fraudulent activities within state-funded childcare and home healthcare systems.

Following his viral video in December targeting Somali-run daycare centers, Shirley asserts that he has been the target of doxxing and threats whenever he travels to different cities to create new content.

In a recent post on X, Shirley announced it was “time to raise money for security” once more. He subsequently appeared on Kayleigh McEnany’s show on Saturday to promote his online fundraising campaign.

“People try to dox my location live,” Shirley explained. “It’s frustrating because I’ll visit a city, be out filming, and then some left-wing activist will snap a photo and share it in a Reddit group chat. This occurred in Baltimore and just happened again this past weekend in California.”

‘They say, “run Nick Shirley out,”‘ he added. ‘This has happened in multiple cities. I had money for security, after Minnesota that went down to pretty much nothing, so unfortunately I had to raise funds again to be able to go out and film these videos.’

‘I used to be able to film these videos without security,’ he continued. 

‘The last hospice video cost $15,000 to go film because I had to have private security for three days. So, I asked my fans and viewers if they could help me out with those security costs.’

Nick Shirley appeared on Kayleigh McEnany’s Fox News show on Saturday to ask his fans to fundraise for his private security after alleged threats from leftists

Shirley first gained notoriety in December when he posted a video looking into various Somali-run daycare centers in Minneapolis. After his video, the Trump administration launched a major immigration enforcement operation in the city

The Daily Mail approached Shirley for further comment.

Shirley’s video, which profiled Minneapolis daycare centers that appeared empty or displayed misspelled signage, racked up millions of views.

One daycare facility had a sign out front that read ‘Quality Learing Center,’ fueling accusations that public dollars were going to ill-equipped businesses.

The Quality Learning Center, the daycare’s actual name, was set to receive $1.9 million from the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) in 2025, according to figures shared by the state House Republican Caucus.

Those figures also show that it has received about $10 million from CCAP since 2019. 

This information, brought to the forefront by Shirley, caught the attention of the Trump administration. 

Within days of Shirley’s video being uploaded on December 26, federal agents began going door-to-door at various locations where supposed fraud was taking place.

In the beginning of January, Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services also froze around $10 billion in federal funding that was going to child care and family assistance in five states, including Minnesota.

Shortly after Shirley’s initial video in Minneapolis, the city also became a major focus for agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. Thousands of these agents descended on the city to make arrests (Pictured: Federal agents take a woman into custody on January 13, 2026)

The heavy deployment led to widespread protests in the streets, even during subzero temperatures (Pictured: A demonstration in Minneapolis on March 1, 2026, led by indigenous activists)

The state had already been a nexus of fraud, with federal prosecutors alleging in November that Minnesota’s government was scammed out of at least $1 billion in public funds for programs meant to feed children, assist the homeless and provide autism therapy.

So-called providers submitted false invoices to be reimbursed for services that were never provided, according to authorities.

Dozens have been charged as part of these fraud schemes, and at least 59 have been convicted so far. Many of those accused of the fraud are based within the state’s Somali community.

Shortly after Shirley’s initial video in Minneapolis, the city also became a major focus for agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. 

Thousands of federal agents affiliated with the Department of Homeland Security descended on the twin cities as part of Trump’s mass deportation plan.

The heavy deployment led to widespread protests in the streets, even during subzero temperatures. Protests significantly ramped up after Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti were shot and killed by federal agents.

Federal agents began withdrawing from Minneapolis in the beginning of February. Operation Metro Surge, the formal name of the crackdown, was officially ended by border czar Tom Homan on February 12.