Student Loan Garnishments Start Jan 7, Tim Walz $9B Fraud Exposed, Border Crossings Down 93%

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Hey, what is up, Patriots? And a happy Monday. I hope you had an amazing Christmas with your families. I got to spend a little bit of time before Christmas with my fiance's family, just chat and relax and exchange presents. And then I just got back yesterday from spending a night with my family. Long drive, but the fiance and I made it in one piece. Christmas traffic was no joke this year. Now.

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We are officially in that weird week between Christmas and New Years where nobody knows what day it is but here we are back at it. Well this is O'Connor's Quick Strike and I'm John O'Connor. Three stories the mainstream media won't cover or will completely twist beyond recognition delivered in roughly 15 minutes or so. No fluff, no filler, no BS, just the unvarnished truth peppered with my own take on what's really going on. Today is Monday December 29th.

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Since our last episode on Wednesday, we've got a lot to cover. First off, I know I'm going to get a lot of questions on my thoughts regarding the developments on Ukraine and Russia. Honestly, I am in a holding pattern. How many times have we been here over the past year? So, I will wait to see before commenting. So, we are kicking things off with the Trump administration's announcement that starting January 7th,

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That's next week. They are going to start garnishing the wages of millions of student loan borrowers who are in default. Then we are diving into what might be the biggest government fraud scandal of the year. Tim Walsh, Minnesota, where an independent journalist just exposed over $110 million in daycare fraud in a single day.

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And we are closing with something that should make every American proud. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem just announced that border crossings are down 93 % year over year. And they are offering illegal aliens $3,000 to self-deport before the end of the year, December 31st. That's it. Take the money and go. Or face arrest and permanent deportation. Let's get into it. All right, Patriots.

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I want you to listen to this very carefully because if you or someone you know has federal student loans in default, this is about to hit home. And by hit home, I mean hit your paycheck. Starting January 7th, that's next week, the Department of Education is going to start garnishing wages from student loan borrowers who are in default. This is the first time wages have been garnished for student loans since the COVID-

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2019 pandemic began when collections were paused back in March of 2020 now Before anyone jumps down my throat. Let me be very clear about something I am NOT here to defend people who borrowed money and refused to pay it back if you took out a loan you have an Obligation to repay it. That's how loans work. That's how life works time to put your big boy britches on But and this is a big but

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We need to talk about the scale of what's happening here, because the Biden administration absolutely destroyed the student loan system, and now millions of Americans are about to pay the price. Literally. Right now, more than 5 million student loan borrowers are in default. That means they haven't made a payment in over 270 days. Nine months. But here's where it gets worse. Another 4 million borrowers

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are in what's called late-stage delinquency. So we are looking at nearly 10 million borrowers who could be in default in just a few months. The Department of Education confirmed that they expect to send out about 1,000 wage garnishment notices the week of January 7th. And then that number is going to increase on a month-to-month basis throughout the remainder of the year. So here's how it works. If your wages get garnished,

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The government can seize up to 15 % of your after-tax income. By law, they have to leave you with at least $217.50 per week. If you're making $40,000 a year, that's about $460 per month coming out of your paycheck. Every month, $5,520 per year. Now, maybe you're thinking, well, they should have paid their loans. And you're not wrong.

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But let me ask you this, how did we get here? The Biden administration refused to lift the collection's pause even after Congress mandated that borrowers start repaying their loans in October of 2023. They pushed illegal loan forgiveness schemes that the Supreme Court struck down. They created the SAVE Plan, which 7 million people enrolled in, and then the Trump administration had to terminate it.

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because it was unconstitutional. And here's the worst part. Since August 2024, under Biden, the department hasn't processed applications for income-based repayment or other affordable payment plans. People who wanted to pay, who were trying to get into affordable payment plans, couldn't even get their applications processed. So now we've got millions of people who've been stuck in limbo.

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And suddenly their wages are getting garnished. Here's my question for you, Patriots. If you are one of those borrowers who've been trying to get into a repayment plan and couldn't because the Biden administration stopped processing applications, how angry are you right now? The Trump administration inherited an absolute disaster. Collections have to restart. We can't just let people walk away from 1.7 trillion in debt. But

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If 10 million people are heading into default, are most of these folks just going to wake up one day and find, hmm, 15 % of my paycheck is gone? Now, could this get challenged in courts? Sure, some borrower advocacy groups are probably already drafting lawsuits. But here's the thing. Unlike Biden's illegal loan forgiveness schemes that the Supreme Court shot down, wage garnishment

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for defaulted federal student loans is explicitly authorized by law. It's in the Higher Education Act. This isn't the Trump administration making up new rules. This is just resuming collections that were paused during COVID. So while some activist judge might try to delay it temporarily, the legal foundation is solid. This is happening. This is what happens when you have decades of bad policy colliding with pandemic chaos.

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And now, American families are going to pay the price, starting January 7th, next week. Alright, buckle up, because what I'm about to tell you is a masterclass in what real journalism looks like, and it's not coming from CNN, MS Now, or any of the mainstream media outlets that claim to hold the powerful accountable. This story is about a guy with a YouTube channel and a camera who just did what billions of dollars in government oversight couldn't do.

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He exposed over $110 million in fraud in just a single day. His name is Nick Shirley, and this past week he released a 42-minute video that went absolutely viral and has the entire country talking about what might be the biggest government fraud scandal in American history. Now, we covered the Minnesota fraud story a few weeks back when the total was estimated at around $1 billion.

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But just 11 days ago, December 18th, first assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson held a press conference and dropped a bombshell. He said that $18 billion in federal funds were distributed to 14 Minnesota-run programs since 2018. And he believes half or more of that, we're talking $9-10 billion, may have been stolen. Let me say that again, $9-10 billion.

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Thompson called it staggering, industrial scale fraud. He said, the fraud is not small, it isn't isolated, the magnitude cannot be overstated. But here's the thing, Patriots. The FBI has been investigating this for years. They have secured 78 indictments and 57 convictions so far. They have dismantled a $250 million fraud scheme. But you know what it took for the average American to actually see what's happening?

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It took Nick Shirley with a camera walking up to these buildings and knocking on doors. So let me tell you what Nick found because this is incredible. Shirley went to Minneapolis and started visiting daycare centers that are supposed to be receiving millions of dollars in state funding through child care assistant programs. These aren't small operations. We are talking about facilities licensed for dozens of kids pulling in millions in taxpayer money every year.

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And what did Nick find when he showed up on a weekday when these daycares should be packed with children? Empty buildings. No children. No staff. Nothing. One of the places he visited is called Quality Luring Center. And yes, you heard that right. Luring. L-E-A-R-I-N-G. Learning is spelled wrong on the sign outside the building. This place is licensed for 99 children.

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It received $1.9 million in state funding in 2025 alone. Over the past few years, $4 million total. Nick shows up with his camera. The building looks deserted. So he walks up and knocks on the door. Suddenly, a woman appears and starts screaming, don't open up, it's ice, don't open up. Nick identifies himself as a journalist. He's just asking questions. And this woman is freaking out.

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yelling at him to leave, accusing him of being an immigration agent, then she runs back inside. Now, let me ask you something, Patriots. If this was a legitimate daycare center providing real services to 99 children, why would someone react like that to a guy with a camera asking questions? What are they hiding? But here's where it gets even better. Nick didn't stop at one location.

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He spent the entire day driving around Minneapolis visiting these so-called daycares and health services offices. Same pattern over and over. Buildings that were supposed to be bustling with activity. Buildings receiving millions in taxpayer funds. And zero evidence of any actual services being provided. At the end of one day, just one day of investigating, Nick Shirley had documented over $110 million in apparent fraud.

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Think about that. The state of Minnesota has an entire department of human services. They have auditors, they have inspectors, they have people whose entire job is to make sure taxpayer money is being spent properly. And it took a YouTuber with a camera one day to uncover $110 million in fraud that the state somehow missed. Now, Nick released this video and it's exploded. Elon Musk shared it with the caption,

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prosecute at Gov. Tim Walz. Donald Trump Jr. wrote, if you haven't watched this yet, watch it, all of it. Understand that this is what journalists are supposed to do, but no one in the mainstream media will even bother to look. Vice President J.D. Vance called it a microcosm of the immigration fraud in our system and said, politicians like it because they get power. Welfare cheats like it because they get rich.

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But it's a zero-sum game, and they are stealing both money and political power from Minnesotans. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, who represents Minnesota, demanded answers from Governor Tim Walz. He said, Just two days ago, FBI Director Cash Patel announced that the FBI has already been surging personnel

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to Minnesota even before Nick's video went viral. But he made it clear that Nick's work is helping their investigation. Now, here's what I want you to understand. This is what real journalism looks like. This is what the media used to do before they became nothing more than a propaganda outlet for the Democratic Party. Nick surely didn't sit in a newsroom waiting for a press release. He didn't just repeat what government officials told him. He got in his car, drove to those locations,

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knocked on doors, asked questions, and documented what he found. And what he found was billions of dollars in taxpayer money being funneled into fake businesses while Governor Tim Walz, Kamala Harris' VP pick, did nothing. Because here's the part that makes me furious. The Minnesota state government knew about this. They had whistleblowers. They had evidence. And according to multiple reports,

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State officials were reluctant to investigate because they didn't want to political backlash from the Somali community or be accused of racism. They let $9 billion get stolen because they were afraid of being called racist. And just a few days ago, while the scandal is exploding across the country, Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan showed up at a Somali market wearing a hijab to defend the community. That's her priority.

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Not accountability, not protecting taxpayers, optics. Patriots, let me ask you this. Where would we be without people like Nick Shirley? How much fraud is happening in California that nobody's investigating? How much in New York? How much in Illinois? The FBI has been working this case for years. They have brought charges. They have gotten convictions. But you know what it took for the average American to actually see what's going on with their own eyes?

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It took one guy with a YouTube channel driving around Minneapolis and showing us the reality of these fake daycares. And you know what the saddest part is? Nick Shirley is getting more pushback for exposing the fraud than Tim Walz is getting for allowing it to happen. Think about that. The guy who documented the crime is being called a troublemaker, but the governor who let $9 billion get stolen on his watch.

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He's probably going to run for re-election like nothing ever happened. What do you think should happen here, patriots? Should Nick Shirley be celebrated as a hero? Should Tim Wallace be hauled before Congress to answer for this? Should every single person involved in these fake daycares be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law? Because I'll tell you what I think. I think we need more Nick Shirley's and fewer Tim Wallace's. We need more people willing to ask the tough questions and follow the money.

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And we need to hold these corrupt politicians accountable. This is your money, this is theft, and it's time to demand justice. Alright, let me calm down for second and let's move on to something that's actually working. Let's talk about the border. On December 19th, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem put out a massive end of year report on what the Trump administration has accomplished. And folks, the numbers are incredible.

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Border crossings are down 93 % year over year, 93%. Under Biden, there were over 155,000 encounters per month. That's over 5,000 per day. We went from over 5,000 per day under Biden to just 245 per day under Trump. Since Trump took office on January 20th, over 2.5 million illegal aliens have left the United States.

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That includes over 622,000 who were forcibly deported by ICE and an estimated 1.9 million who voluntarily self-deported. October had the lowest nationwide border encounters in CBP history. And for six months straight, May through November, Border Patrol released zero illegal aliens into the country. Zero. Now this is what I find really interesting.

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Secretary Noem announced on December 22nd, just last week, that DHS is offering illegal aliens a $3,000 stipend if they sign up to self-deport through the CBP app by December 31st. That's this Wednesday, Patriots. Just two days from now. Before anyone loses their minds, let me explain the genius of this. The average cost to arrest, detain, and deport an illegal alien is $17,121.

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That's according to ICE's own numbers. But if someone volunteers to leave through the app, the government pays them $3,000, gives them a free flight home, waives any civil fines, and preserves their ability to potentially come back legally someday. Even with the $3,000 payment, DHS projects that this will save them 70 % of the cost. Instead of spending $17,000 to forcibly remove someone,

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we spend $5,000 to get them to leave voluntarily. That's just smart economics. But here's the catch. Secretary Noem made it very clear what happens if you don't take the deal. She said, illegal aliens should take advantage of this gift and self-deport because if they don't, we will find them, we will arrest them, and they will never return. Never return. If you self-deport through the app, you might be able to come back legally someday.

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If ICE arrests you and deports you, you are banned permanently. So it's a carrot and stick. Take the $3,000 and leave with some dignity or roll the dice and when ICE catches you, you are gone forever. Now the mainstream media is spinning this program as some kind of failure. DHS claims 1.9 million illegal aliens have voluntarily self-deported since January.

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but they won't release detailed numbers about how many actually use the app. Well, here's the truth. The vast majority of that in 1.9 million has nothing to do with the app. Most of those people left on their own because they lost their jobs, got scared of getting arrested, or just ran out of money. But you know what? I don't care. Because the result is the same. They are gone. They left. Mission accomplished.

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The Trump administration created an environment where being in the country illegally is no longer a free ride. They ramped up enforcement. They hired 10,000 new ICE officers. They ended catch and release. And people got the message and they left. Border crossings are down 93%. Fentanyl trafficking has been cut in half. ICE has deported hundreds of thousands of criminal illegal aliens, gang members, rapists,

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drug traffickers. 70 % of the people ICE arrests are criminal illegal aliens who have been charged or convicted of a crime. This is what happens when you actually enforce the law. This is what happens when you put American citizens first. Does it feel good to finally have an administration that's serious about border security? After four years of Biden's open border disaster, doesn't it feel amazing to see some of these numbers? Because to me, this is just the beginning.

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With that $3,000 offer expiring December 31st, starting in January, I think the gloves are coming off. So there you have it, Patriots. Starting January 7th, the Department of Education is going to start garnishing wages for millions of student loan borrowers in default, a mess created by the Biden administration that the Trump administration now has to clean up. Tim Wallace's Minnesota has been looted for up to $10 billion in welfare fraud

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and an independent journalist exposed 110 million of it in a single day. The FBI is now involved and heads need to roll. And DHS Secretary Kristi Noem just proved that when you actually enforce immigration laws, illegal aliens leave. Border crossings are down 93 % and over 2.5 million people have left this country since Trump took office. These are the stories the mainstream media either won't tell you

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or will completely distort when they do cover them. That's why you're here. That's why O'Connor's Quick Strike exists. I'll see you Wednesday with three more stories the media won't touch. This is O'Connor's Quick Strike and I'm John O'Connor. Hold the line, Patriots.