A congressional hearing took a sharp turn when Brandon Gill confronted a witness with blunt data that cut straight through a familiar political narrative about immigration in Minnesota.

Gill questioned Brendan Ballou after Ballou claimed that Somali immigration has been “strengthening” Minnesota. Gill did not argue theory. He argued facts.

“Does large scale Somali immigration make Minnesota stronger or weaker?” Gill asked.

“Certainly stronger,” Ballou replied.

That is when Gill started reading the receipts.

“Do you know what percentage of Somali headed households in Minnesota are on food stamps?” Gill asked.

“No,” Ballou said.

“54%,” Gill answered. He followed up immediately. “Do you know what that number is for native Minnesota headed households?”

“Well…” Ballou responded.

“It’s 7%,” Gill said.

Gill kept going.

“What percentage of Somali headed households in Minnesota are on Medicaid?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Ballou said.

“It’s 73%,” Gill replied.

Then came the final blow.

“What percentage of Somali headed households are on welfare in general?” Gill asked.

“I don’t know,” Ballou admitted again.

“It’s 81%,” Gill said.

The room went quiet.

Gill’s point was not subtle. If immigration policy is supposed to strengthen communities, lawmakers owe the public an honest accounting of outcomes, not feel good slogans. Taxpayers are footing the bill, and pretending the numbers do not exist does not make them disappear.

For years, critics have been told to sit down and stop asking questions. Gill did the opposite. He asked the questions everyone else avoids and backed them up with data.

In an era where emotion often replaces evidence, the exchange was a reminder that numbers still matter. And when the facts show dependency instead of contribution, pretending otherwise is not compassion. It is dishonesty.