Nafisa Samatar runs the Somali Independent Business Alliance in Seattle, helping Somali entrepreneurs build businesses from restaurants to daycare centres. Now she’s fielding calls from frightened members watching federal agents raid daycare centres in Minnesota and wondering if they’re next.
“As a Somali and as a small business provider, we are really scared; people are afraid,” Samatar said.
The fear rippling through Seattle’s Somali community stems from a federal fraud investigation in Minnesota that has intensified dramatically in recent weeks, targeting daycare centres reportedly run by Somali Americans.
Homeland Security released a video showing agents going “door to door” at suspected fraud sites. The escalation came after a viral video surfaced allegedly depicting empty daycare centres receiving millions in taxpayer dollars.
FBI Director Kash Patel has pledged additional resources for the investigation, and lawmakers in the House are expanding their own probe.
Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota expressed astonishment at the situation, stating: “Well, it’s amazing to me that a 23-year-old journalist, a YouTuber who’s now got over 80 million views on this thing, found more in a matter of hours than our Tim Walz and Keith Ellison, our Attorney General, have found in 7 years.”
The allegations add to a growing list of fraud investigations in Minnesota, with 92 people charged and 60 convictions so far. Of those charged, 82 are Somali Americans, according to the FBI.
That statistic has created what Somali community leaders in Seattle describe as a climate of suspicion and hostility affecting legitimate businesses operated by Somali Americans across the country.
Samatar noted that the backlash affects Somali-run businesses across the board, from restaurants to daycare centres, even though the fraud allegations involve specific individuals in Minnesota, not entire communities in other states.
Governor Bob Ferguson met with state and local leaders, including Somali community representatives, to discuss their concerns Monday afternoon in Seattle. He shared photos of the meeting on social media, emphasising the importance of diversity and condemning harmful rhetoric.
Abdi Jama, a Somali community leader, attributed the backlash to political rhetoric and fraud investigations in Minnesota.
“Those are isolated incidents, and that’s across the board in any community when those things happen in terms of fraud, it is being elevated just because of the rhetoric from the President and this administration,” Jama said.
During a cabinet meeting, Trump referred to Somali immigrants as “garbage.”
The city of Tukwila expressed support for the Somali community, posting on social media: “We continue to believe that respect and compassion ultimately prevail, and Tukwila will be a community to support and stand by our Somali neighbours, friends, and colleagues.”
The Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families, which licences child care centres, did not initially comment on the investigation, but at the end of the day sent an email response that reads in part:
“Licenced early learning providers follow quality standards, the Washington Administrative Code, set by the state to ensure children in licenced care are in safe, healthy, and nurturing environments. DCYF conducts regular inspections to ensure that licenced child care programmes meet safety and health standards.”
The FBI declined to confirm or deny any specific investigations in Washington state, stating it’s against agency policy to do so.
The Minnesota investigation has created a complicated situation where legitimate concerns about potential fraud collide with fears of ethnic profiling and collective punishment.
The 82 Somali Americans amongst 92 people charged represents nearly 90 percent of defendants in the Minnesota cases. Whether that reflects concentrated criminal activity within one community or targeting based on ethnicity depends on who’s analysing the numbers.
The viral YouTube video that sparked much of the recent attention demonstrates how social media can amplify investigations and shape public perception before cases are adjudicated. Rep. Emmer’s comment praising a YouTuber over state officials suggests frustration with what he views as inadequate enforcement.
The “door to door” raids shown in Homeland Security’s video create dramatic imagery that can fuel suspicion toward entire communities rather than specific individuals accused of crimes.
Seattle’s Somali community includes thousands of people who immigrated from Somalia starting in the 1990s, fleeing civil war and establishing businesses, raising families, and contributing to the local economy. Most operate legitimate businesses and have no connection to fraud in Minnesota or anywhere else.
The fear Samatar described suggests Somali business owners worry about increased scrutiny from regulators, hostile reactions from customers, or even federal investigations expanding to Washington despite no evidence of widespread fraud here.
Governor Ferguson’s meeting with Somali community representatives signals state leadership recognising the need to distinguish between holding individuals accountable for alleged crimes and treating entire ethnic communities as suspect.
Tukwila’s public statement of support matters because the city hosts a significant Somali population and Somali-owned businesses. Local government explicitly standing with the community provides some counterweight to hostile federal rhetoric.
Trump’s “garbage” comment about Somali immigrants during a cabinet meeting represents the presidential rhetoric Jama referenced as elevating suspicion and hostility. When the president uses dehumanising language about an ethnic group, it affects how members of that group are perceived and treated.
The Washington State DCYF response emphasises that licenced daycare centres undergo regular inspections and must meet safety and health standards. The statement implicitly suggests Washington’s regulatory oversight differs from whatever gaps may have existed in Minnesota.
The FBI’s refusal to confirm or deny investigations in Washington follows standard policy but leaves questions unanswered about whether the Minnesota investigation has expanded to other states with Somali populations.
