Seattle socialist mayor will NOT investigate fraud at Somali-run daycare centers, calls it attack on immigrants

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson said the city has no intention of investigating fraud claims in taxpayer-funded social programs, claiming the concerns are an effort to target immigrant communities rather than address legitimate financial irregularities. 

In an interview with KOMO News, Wilson was asked if she had authorized the Seattle Police Department or the city's Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs to investigate fraud charges involving daycare providers, particularly those in Somali and other immigrant communities. The mayor responded: "No."

"This whole issue is not really about fraud," said Wilson. "It's about dividing and conquering. It's about making an immigrant community a target. There's no reason to assume based on the identity of a daycare operator that their small business is doing anything wrong."

She added that "it's problematic to have random people showing up to daycares" and emphasized that "the fear in the Somali community is real" and "the fear in immigrant communities are real," saying her administration is "taking that very seriously."

The comments come amid a nationwide crackdown on fraud discovered in taxpayer-funded programs. After millions of dollars worth of fraud was discovered in Minnesota, particularly among the Somali immigrant community in Minneapolis, similar investigations arose in Washington state. Independent journalists discovered earmarks of fraud in Seattle-area immigrant-run daycares, specifically those operated within the Somali community.

In January, Mayor Wilson denounced the investigations, claiming they were an attack on immigrants. "I stand with the Somali childcare providers who have experienced targeted harassment and condemn the surveillance campaign promoted by extremist influencers," she said at the time.

Wilson announced her intention to charge independent journalists with "hate crimes" for investigating fraud. Reports earlier this year revealed that at least one Somali-run daycare recieved $200,000 of taxpayer funds, but the childcare business did not appear to exist.