The nationwide spotlight on Somali-owned daycare fraud schemes has brought intense scrutiny to childcare centers, particularly in Minnesota. This comes in the wake of a significant scandal that has captured public attention. The scandal took a dramatic turn when independent journalist Nick Shirley released footage showcasing an apparently deserted daycare in Minneapolis, with a name sign that was notably misspelled.

In response to these revelations, the federal government took decisive action on Tuesday by freezing all childcare payments to Minnesota. This move signifies the gravity of the situation and the level of concern regarding potential fraudulent activities within the daycare sector.

The investigation has gained momentum, with the FBI now actively involved. FBI Director Kash Patel has remarked that the situation in Minnesota might be “just the tip of a very large iceberg,” suggesting that more widespread fraud could be uncovered as the investigation progresses.

In light of these developments, local independent journalists in Washington have begun focusing their efforts on Somali-run daycares within their state. Their investigative work aims to uncover any similar fraudulent activities that might exist beyond Minnesota’s borders.

Amid this heightened scrutiny, an encounter involving Discovery Institute Senior Journalism Fellow Jonathan Choe took place on Tuesday in Seattle. Outside a local home, Choe was confronted by a woman wearing a headscarf. Although she has not been implicated in any wrongdoing, she was notably agitated and was seen gesturing emphatically at the journalist, highlighting the charged atmosphere surrounding these investigations.

On Tuesday, an unidentified headscarf-wearing woman, who has not been accused of any wrongdoing, was seen wagging her finger at Discovery Institute Senior Journalism Fellow Jonathan Choe outside of her Seattle home.

‘Is this an actual daycare? Are you aware of the Somali daycare fraud going on? We’re just trying to check out if this is a real daycare,’ Choe asked.

‘I am working. You don’t have to come to my home,’ the woman said. 

A headscarf-wearing woman scolded a journalist for asking her if she is running a daycare out her Washington home

Washington Attorney General Nick Brown (pictured) posted on social media warning journalist not to show up to home-based daycare providers and ‘harass’ them

‘Where are all the children? If you have a daycare, where are all the children?’ the journalist asked.

‘I don’t have to… I don’t have to tell you what I have or what I don’t have,’ she said. 

Notably, the Seattle Public School system is on winter break from December 22 to January 2, and it is unclear if children would be attending daycare when the interaction occurred. 

When Choe asked if she could prove the daycare was legitimate, she replied, ‘I am not proving anything for you,’ while wagging her finger. 

Later that day, Washington Attorney General Nick Brown posted on social media that his office had received an influx of complaints from Somali community members about being harassed. 

‘My office has received outreach from members of the Somali community after reports of home-based daycare providers being harassed and accused of fraud with little to no fact-checking,’ Brown wrote.

‘Showing up on someone’s porch, threatening, or harassing them isn’t an investigation. Neither is filming minors who may be in the home. This is unsafe and potentially dangerous behavior.

‘I encourage anyone experiencing threats or harassment to either contact local law enforcement or our office’s Hate Crimes & Bias Incident Hotline.’

According to a 2024 report from the Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF), 283 of the state’s 5,779 daycare providers list Somali as their primary language. 

The unidentified woman, who has not been accused of wrongdoing, told independent journalist Jonathan Choe she did not have to prove anything to him

Independent journalist Nick Shirley shared footage of an apparently empty Minneapolis daycare with a misspelled name sign after a  massive Somali fraud scandal was unveiled

Washington’s Democratic Governor Bob Ferguson told KOMO that he was not aware of any fraud schemes in the state. 

‘I think we can all agree that if someone is violating the law in Minnesota or any state, you need to be held accountable. If there is fraud, you need to be held accountable, I don’t care who you are,’ Ferguson said.

He added that he stands with the Somali community and has received reports of Somalis feeling unsafe amid the national spotlight.

‘That community is scared; their kids are scared as well. And so, I was there to express my support for them during a challenging time, but obviously, whether it’s in any work we do as a state, if anyone is violating the law, of course, we take action on that,’ Ferguson said. 

Jim Walsh, Chair of the Washington State Republican Party, told the local news outlet he welcomes federal accountability. 

‘We don’t know that with certainty, and we do need to be careful. It may be that some or a lot of this money is being spent properly,’ Walsh said.

‘But the emerging evidence is that a number of these childcare centers look like they’re empty, and they’ve been empty for a while.

‘This is not singling out any racial or ethnic group. This is about state government projects, programs that are using taxpayer dollars, and would we want to make sure that the dollars are being spent correctly?’

The Daily Mail contacted DCYF for comment.