> At a Glance
> – Conservative influencers are filming surprise visits to Somali-run child care centers in Minnesota, Ohio, Washington, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon and Pennsylvania
> – A Dec. 26 video by Nick Shirley garnered 135 million views on X and praise from Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk
> – Federal child-care payments to Minnesota have been frozen amid the uproar
> – Why it matters: Operators-most never charged-say they are being harassed based on ethnicity, not evidence
A viral Minnesota day-care fraud claim has snowballed into a coast-to-coast campaign in which conservative content creators confront Somali-owned child care sites, demand answers and post videos that rack up millions of views.
The clips-often filmed over the quiet holiday week between Christmas and New Year’s-pit long-term subsidy totals against single-day attendance counts, fueling unproven assertions of massive fraud.
How One Video Ignited a Multi-State Movement
Nick Shirley’s Dec. 26 exposé on X, claiming empty Minnesota centers were collecting state funds, logged 135 million views and was boosted by Vice President JD Vance, Elon Musk and influencers like Catturd. Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet called the story a preview of “2026 narratives.”
Within days, imitators appeared:
- Cam Higby and Jonathan Choe filmed four Washington centers run by Somalis
- Mehek Cooke and Thomas Hern shot similar clips in Columbus, Ohio
- Copy-cat visits surfaced in Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon and Pennsylvania
The Limits of the “Evidence”
The creators’ method: compare historical subsidy data with late-December headcounts, then label disparities as fraud. State officials call the mismatch misleading.
Washington’s Department of Children, Youth & Families spokesperson Nancy Gutierrez noted:
- Home-based providers are not required to list street addresses in public databases
- Most operators are immigrant women running small, low-margin businesses
In one video, a center supposedly suspicious for lacking an address was actually exempt from disclosure rules.
Political Fallout and Allegations of Harassment
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson says providers faced “targeted harassment.”
Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, a Democrat, warns:
> “Showing up on someone’s porch … isn’t an investigation.”
DOJ Civil Rights Division head Harmeet Dhillon, a Trump appointee, countered that journalists enjoy First Amendment protections.
In Columbus, over 40 Republican lawmakers cite the videos to demand extra audits.
State Rep. Josh Williams wants prison terms and deportation for anyone convicted.
Community Pushback
Edward Ahmed Mitchell, Council on American-Islamic Relations:
> “There is no reason to target Somali immigrants other than racism.”
Columbus entrepreneur Dorothy Jubity Hassan calls the campaign a “witch hunt” that ignores poverty-driven conditions like chipped paint and security cameras.
Key Takeaways
- A single viral video has spurred copy-cat “stings” in at least eight states
- Federal child-care funding to Minnesota is now frozen while authorities review
- No statewide surge in official fraud complaints has been reported outside Minnesota
- Critics say influencers are using real Minnesota convictions to justify ethnic profiling
As amateur sleuths continue posting confrontations, Somali providers maintain they are being judged by heritage, not facts.
