A viral post on social media platform X has revealed that the issue of daycare fraud connected with Somali immigrants is not isolated to the state of Minnesota, but is far more widespread across the country than originally thought, with even a daycare fraud sort of scandal happening in another deep blue state: Washington.
In fact, conservative commentator Benny Johnson stated in a post on the topic that there are a total of 5,000 childcare facilities located in Washington state, and of those, 500 of these centers are run by Somalis and have no physical addresses, no posted hours of operation, and feature subsidy participation.
A recent report from KOMO News stated that daycare centers all over the state of Washington are now being heavily scrutinized online and across social media platforms, thanks to viral videos that have opened up questions about the legitimacy of daycare providers, even though, as of this writing, no official fraud cases have been filed.
The report mentions that the reason these centers have come under scrutiny is due to the viral video that came out of Minnesota that exposed Somali-run daycare centers that were essentially fake businesses used to take advantage of taxpayer dollars that have been allocated to help fund such centers. Similar videos have popped up in other states across the country ever since.
According to KOMO News, there have been several such clips making the rounds on social media, some of which garnered over half a million views, that accuse daycares in Washington of being closed, inactive, or raise questions about the reception of public funds. Three specific daycares were mentioned online, all of them located in the city of Kent.
The outlet paid a visit to one establishment, speaking with the provider who told them that she saw videos claiming her daycare was closed. However, when the media arrived, she let them into the facility where they saw children in attendance. “I’m here. I’m working hard. I have a legitimate business,” she told the media. “The state allows us. They send licensors into our homes. They check our business.”
The woman told reporters that there were only six children, but that was normal over the holiday season. Many conservatives believe that this could just be a cover, that having seen her business exposed, the woman brought in clients to hide the fraud her business is accused of. After the interview, the provider reached out to KOMO News and asked for her identity to be concealed, claiming she had received a death threat.
She then told reporters that if there is fraud with daycare centers in Washington, it should be handled by investigators. The woman then warned against harassment that is prompted by online allegations. “For our own safety, we encourage people not to open their doors to strangers,” she told reporters. The Washington Department of Children, Youth and Families, has stated that it has systems currently in place to monitor the potential misuse of child care funds.
The agency then claimed that its Quality Assurance unit conducted more than 1,400 audits of child care provider payments in 2024. It also confirmed that it has, on hand, a physical address for every licensed provider, however, video evidence suggests otherwise. State law does not require in-home child care providers to list their addresses publicly. Videos exposing potential daycare fraud have also popped up in Ohio, as immigration officials have begun operations in the Buckeye State to crack down on illegal immigration.
Source: Michael Cantrell
