Katie Wilson became Seattle’s mayor on Friday, took the oath of office at City Hall, and within hours found herself in a confrontation with federal officials over her defence of Somali childcare providers.
“I had the honour of being noticed by the President of the United States who called me a very, very liberal slash communist mayor. It’s nice. It’s nice to feel seen,” she joked in front of a room of enthusiastic supporters during her speech at Seattle City Hall.
But she wasn’t joking when, just hours before, her official campaign account posted on X that “I stand with the Somali childcare providers who have experienced targeted harassment and condemn the surveillance campaign promoted by extremist influencers.”
The statement drew a quick reaction from Assistant US Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who then posted: “Asking questions/citizen journalism are not HATE CRIMES in America, they are protected speech, and if Seattle tries to chill that speech (the Civil Rights division) will step in to protect it and set them straight! Govern yourselves accordingly!”
Wilson did not take questions from reporters on her first day, which struck a more celebratory tone.
She instead opted for a receiving line, posing for photos with supporters who had watched her speech.
State Representatives Jim Walsh, a Republican from Aberdeen, and Travis Couture, a Republican from Allyn, have both said in recent days that there needs to be additional oversight of federal and state spending on childcare centres, amidst a social media campaign and allegations of fraud involving taxpayer money at Somali-run daycare facilities in Minnesota, Ohio, and Washington.
Somali immigrant Iffy Abshir, a Rainier Beach High graduate and Minnesota resident who helped introduce Wilson at the Friday ceremony, spoke after the event and called the whole controversy “kind of demoralising” and “painful.”
When asked if she has seen fraud either in Minnesota or Washington, she said: “I don’t believe there’s widespread fraud at all. I definitely believe that there are bad actors in every community, but I don’t think that blanket statements across the board in any community are valid.”
Wilson’s decision to wade into the Somali childcare controversy on her first day as mayor demonstrates either remarkable courage or political calculation, depending on perspective. Most newly sworn mayors spend their first days focusing on local issues and building goodwill, not picking fights with federal officials.
The “very, very liberal slash communist mayor” reference Wilson joked about shows Trump has already attacked her publicly, providing her with a badge of honour amongst progressive Seattle voters who overwhelmingly elected her.
Her joke about it being “nice to feel seen” by the president plays well to a liberal Seattle audience but sets up ongoing conflict with a federal administration that could withhold funding or create other obstacles for the city.
The timing of her X post, just hours before being sworn in, suggests deliberate planning. Wilson wanted to establish her position on this issue from day one, signalling to Seattle’s Somali community that she stands with them and to critics that she won’t be intimidated.
Dhillon’s response invoking “citizen journalism” and “protected speech” frames the social media campaign against Somali childcare providers as legitimate inquiry rather than targeted harassment. The threat that the Civil Rights Division “will step in” represents federal power being wielded against a city defending an immigrant community.
The “govern yourselves accordingly” warning from Dhillon carries implicit threat. The federal government can investigate Seattle’s actions, withhold grants, or create legal challenges to city policies.
Wilson refusing to take questions from reporters on her first day whilst posing for photos with supporters shows she wanted to control her message. Taking questions would have forced her to defend or elaborate on the Somali childcare statement, potentially creating sound bites that could be used against her.
State Representatives Walsh and Couture calling for additional oversight represents bipartisan concern, though the context of a “social media campaign” suggests the scrutiny may be driven more by viral videos than evidence of systemic fraud.
The allegations spanning Minnesota, Ohio, and Washington create a pattern that critics cite as evidence of widespread problems. However, Abshir’s point about “bad actors in every community” contextualises isolated incidents versus systematic fraud.
Abshir introducing Wilson at the ceremony then speaking to media afterward suggests coordination. Wilson’s campaign likely wanted a Somali community member to provide perspective that Wilson herself didn’t have to defend in a press conference.
Abshir’s description of the controversy as “demoralising” and “painful” captures how fraud investigations in one state create suspicion toward an entire ethnic group nationwide. Somali childcare providers in Seattle face scrutiny because of incidents in Minnesota.
Her statement that she doesn’t believe there’s “widespread fraud at all” whilst acknowledging “bad actors in every community” represents a balanced position. Individual criminals exist in all communities, but that doesn’t justify treating entire ethnic groups as suspect.
The “blanket statements across the board in any community are valid” formulation addresses the core issue: whether isolated fraud cases justify increased scrutiny of all Somali-run childcare facilities or whether that constitutes ethnic profiling.
Wilson’s first day as mayor establishing her as a defender of immigrant communities against what she characterises as harassment sets the tone for her administration. Seattle’s Somali community knows they have an ally in the mayor’s office. Federal officials and critics know Wilson won’t back down from controversy.
