A massive influx of applicants filed to take advantage of Minnesota’s new paid leave law before benefits even went into effect, as fraud watchdogs warn that the taxpayer-funded assistance program, which is open to “undocumented workers,” will be widely abused.

Approximately 18,000 applications have poured in since the Minnesota Paid Family and Medical Leave Program started accepting submissions in early December, according to the Department of Employment and Economic Development, the state agency administering PFML.