Rep. Pete Stauber to bring viral YouTuber to State of the Union
DULUTH — A conservative YouTuber — whose viral video late last year alleging fraud at Somali-run child care centers in the Twin Cities spurred the Trump administration to send thousands more federal immigration agents to the state in early January — will be one of U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber’s guests at the State of the Union on Tuesday.
The Republican from Hermantown said Nick Shirley and David Hoch, a former gubernatorial candidate who appeared in the video with Shirley, would join him at President Donald Trump’s speech.
In a news release Monday, Stauber praised Shirley and Hoch for bringing national attention to the issue of fraud in Minnesota.
“It is an honor to bring them both to the State of the Union as a reminder to every American that the federal government under President Trump is committed to ending the abuse of programs meant to help working families and the most vulnerable,” Stauber said.
Here’s a rundown of who the other nine members of Minnesota’s delegation are bringing to Tuesday’s State of the Union:
Sen. Tina Smith
The Senate Democrat will boycott the State of the Union, instead attending and speaking at the “People’s State of the Union” on the National Mall on Tuesday evening. She plans to bring Fridley Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Lewis as her guest. Lewis will also speak at the event and is expected to highlight the effect immigration actions have had on her district.
Lewis’s district, Education Minnesota and Duluth Public Schools sued the Department of Homeland Security earlier this month in an effort to reinstate a policy that would keep federal immigration agents off school property.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar
The Senate Democrat, who is also running for governor, said her guest will be Sean Syverson, owner of Swing Barrel Brewing in Moorhead, to highlight the impact of Trump’s tariffs on small businesses.
Reps. Betty McCollum and Kelly Morrison
The congresswomen, both Democrats, will bring Colin Hortman, the son of former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Mark Hortman, who were assassinated in June, and Colin’s wife, Alina Bachman Hortman.
Rep. Tom Emmer
The Republican congressman from Delano and House majority whip will bring Blaine Police Chief Brian Podany and Blaine Brothers Board Chairman Dean Dally to highlight Trump’s spending and tax bill signed into law last summer.
Rep. Ilhan Omar
The Democrat from Minneapolis will bring four guests to highlight ICE’s actions in Minnesota: Aliya Rahman, a Bagladeshi-American software engineer who was detained by DHS agents and required hospitalization upon her release; Mary Granlund, chair of the Columbia Heights School Board; Mubashir Hussen, a U.S. citizen who was detained by ICE agents; and Gerardo Orozco Guzman, who has been organizing against ICE’s detention of construction workers at job sites.
Rep. Brad Finstad
The Republican from New Ulm’s guest will be Rochester Chief of Police Jim Franklin. Finstad said Franklin “has been committed to advancing an environment of continuous improvement centered on policing that prioritizes meaningful partnerships, trust-building, and collaboration to keep our communities safe.”
Rep. Angie Craig
The Democratic congresswoman, who is running for U.S. Senate, is bringing Angel Silva as her guest. Silva’s mother, Concepcion Macias-Pulido, self-deported to Mexico in December after she was detained by ICE.
Rep. Michelle Fischbach
The Republican from Regal is bringing Minnesota Farm Bureau President Dan Glessing as her guest to Tuesday’s speech, according to her spokesperson.
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