Washington Governor Bob Ferguson criticized allegations of fraud in Somali child care centers

A leading blue state governor conservatives criticized for inflicting “profound harm” to the Somali-American community, while the state’s attorney general warned of potential charges after citizen journalists filmed encounters with alleged daycare addresses similar to those in Minneapolis and released them online.

Citizen journalists have increased public visibility of widespread fraud allegations in Minnesota, with many of those allegations coming from that region’s Somali community. Weeks after Gov. Tim Walz came under fire, other bloggers traveled to Seattle and King County, Washington, to visit what they claimed were similarly fraudulent child care centers, drawing Olympia’s ire.

Former head of the White House Department of Government Effectiveness (DOGE) Elon Musk pointed to media published by Kristen Magnuson, who, along with Cam Higby — an independent journalist recently connected to Charlie Kirk’s conservative organization Turning Point USA — and podcaster Jonathan Choe, have been sounding the alarm about alleged Minneapolis-type situations occurring in the Pacific Northwest.

"They maximize this feat," Musk said in response to a message by Magnuson which included a video scrolling through a list of up to 539 daycares in Washington State which she said would have listed Somali as the primary language.

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Meanwhile, Washington Governor Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, I took X to post several photos of himself meeting with what he said were Somali community leaders.

In those meetings, Ferguson said he “discussed the profound damage inflicted by Donald Trump’s harmful rhetoric and reckless deportations. Here in Washington state, we recognize that diversity is strength.”

Democrats claimed this “damage” as mild anti-Somali rhetoric, and some liberals condemned citizen journalists who took it upon themselves to visit so-called day care centers.

When Fox News Digital attempted Wednesday to recreate the official Department of Children and Youth Services’ list of 539 child care centers. websitethe option to select Somali as the primary language had been removed or did not exist. Magnuson said several daycares lacked addresses or other standard identifying information.

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Choe responded to Washington Governor Ferguson on X, warning that he has a “serious problem with Somali fraud in (his) state,” particularly in King County, Washington, which Choe said was “particularly out of control.”

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“Hey Bob, can you explain this to us?” Higby replied to Ferguson on X, while including a video of him approaching an address in Federal Way, Washington, where he claimed to have received more than $200,000 in grants.

In the video, a man who accompanied Higby approached the door of the apparent residence and asked if the building was the “Dhagash Family Daycare” – while a female voice replied “no”, and Higby said a “rustling sound” could be heard as his partner approached a home security camera.

In another video, Higby claims he went to the address of a daycare that reportedly received $800,000 in grants in the town of Kent, Washington, but found “no daycares here” when he approached what appeared to be a residential address.

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“Records show massive subsidy payments following inspections revealing a risk of death to children,” Higby wrote.

“There are 539 child care centers in Washington state that list Somali as their primary language. Most don’t even give a mailing address. I don’t know how many of them are submitting fraudulent applications for state grants and grants, but I have a strong hunch that this number is not zero,” read a separate statement from Magnuson.

The Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) told Fox News Digital that the agency “appreciates our licensed child care providers and the important work they do to care for and educate our youngest learners.”

“We take fraud seriously. Washington State uses a variety of measures to minimize fraud. For example, DCYF makes unannounced visits to every licensed child care center at least once a year,” the agency said.

DCYF also checks its lists randomly to confirm the accuracy of disbursements to child care providers, the agency said, verifying attendance and matching families authorized to receive such benefits. The agency said it had recorded 1,440 audits in 2024.

Regarding the lack of addresses found by Magnuson, DCYF said the state has addresses for every provider listed, even though the public website lacks complete data, and that about 5,500 providers, or 2.6 percent statewide, list Somali as their “spoken language.”

DCYF told Fox News Digital that anyone suspecting fraud should contact the state hotline directly at 1-800-562-6906.

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Washington State Government Reporter Carleen Johnson also responded to Ferguson’s tweet by saying she visited several “Somali-run home daycares” in Federal Way, comparing her visits to those of YouTuber Nick Shirley in Minneapolis.

“There were no children or people willing to talk to this journalist. They threatened me with the police,” she said.

In the middle of the videos that fall, Nicholas Brown, Democratic Attorney General of Washington said his office received complaints from Somali residents “after reports of home care providers being harassed and accused of fraud with little or no fact-checking.”

“We are in contact with the State Department of Children, Youth and Families regarding allegations spread online and harassment reported by daycares,” Brown said, adding that showing up on a person’s porch and “threatening or harassing them does not constitute an investigation; it is also not possible to film minors who may be in the house. »

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Brown urged anyone subjected to this treatment to contact the police or his office. Hate Crimes and Bias Hotline.

“If you believe fraud is occurring, there are appropriate steps to report and investigate,” Brown said in a statement. When “fraud is proven and verified by law enforcement and regulatory agencies, individuals should be held accountable.”

Higby responded to Brown appearing to reference his work, tweeting that “reporters showing up at daycares and asking for applications is not harassment or threats – unless of course it’s a fraudulent daycare, then that can threaten the fraud ring.”

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Neither Brown’s nor Ferguson’s office responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment at the time of publication.

According to at NewsweekMagnuson filtered his searches for Somali as the primary language of a daycare and added a filter for recipients of the Washington “Early Achievers” program, which “entitles them to state funding. This second filter reduced the number of centers returned to 274,” according to the outlet.