Democratic Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson told a reporter in a January interview that she was not asking for any investigation into allegations of welfare fraud involving Somali-run businesses.
Wilson’s remarks resurfaced Monday after a clip shared on X by LibsofTikTok. The comments were originally published Jan. 7 by KOMO, a Seattle-area TV station. Wilson argued that the controversy was being used to “make an immigrant community a target,” and said she did not believe the situation should be framed primarily as a fraud issue.
“Have you asked anyone to follow up on the fraud claims, either to the Department of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs or SPD [Seattle Police Department]?” the reporter asked. Wilson replied, “No.”
When the reporter followed up—asking whether there was, in her view, any reason to believe fraud had occurred—Wilson responded that she did not, and said the debate was “about dividing and conquering.” She added that the identity of a daycare operator should not be treated as evidence that a business is doing something wrong.
The broader online dispute has centered on claims about Somali-run daycare centers and public benefits programs. Independent journalist Nick Shirley drew major attention on Dec. 26 after posting a photo of a daycare sign in the Minneapolis area and sharing a 42-minute video of visits to other daycare locations. After that, additional citizen journalists began investigating Somali-run daycare centers in Washington state, and one lawmaker reportedly introduced legislation aimed at limiting publicly available information about such establishments.
Separately, reports in November cited alleged fraud in Minnesota and included claims that some proceeds may have been connected to al-Shabaab. Following those reports, President Donald Trump said on Nov. 22 that he would end “Temporary Protected Status” for Somalis in the state. In December, federal officials estimated the alleged fraud cost at least $9 billion and described it as “industrial-scale,” according to CBS News Minnesota.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) also surged hundreds of agents into the Minneapolis area to target illegal immigrants from Somalia after the initial reports. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in an interview that aired Dec. 7 on Minneapolis-area station WCCO that Minneapolis police would not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement operations.
Whistleblowers in Maine and Ohio have also alleged Somali-linked welfare fraud schemes in their states.
