{"id":3793,"date":"2026-01-19T17:46:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T00:46:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/orwall\/?p=3793"},"modified":"2026-05-01T19:29:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T02:29:20","slug":"orwall-issues-statement-in-support-of-washingtons-somali-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/orwall\/2026\/01\/19\/orwall-issues-statement-in-support-of-washingtons-somali-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Orwall issues statement in support of Washington’s Somali community"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sen. Tina Orwall (D-Des Moines) issued the following statement\u00a0<\/strong>in support of Washington’s Somali community:<\/p>\n

Over the past few weeks, the Somali community, especially those who\u00a0operate\u00a0childcare\u00a0centers\u00a0in our district,\u00a0has\u00a0become\u00a0a target\u00a0of harassment and baseless allegations of wrongdoing.\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0deeply saddened by how our\u00a0Somali neighbors have been treated\u00a0and made to\u00a0feel\u00a0unwelcome\u00a0and unsafe in their own homes.<\/p>\n

Our Somali neighbors are\u00a0valued\u00a0members\u00a0of our\u00a0district\u00a0who contribute to the beautiful diversity of\u00a0Washington state.\u00a0I stand with our Somali community and will\u00a0defend their right to live with dignity and respect.\u00a0If you or someone you know in the Somali community has experienced\u00a0a potential hate crime or bias incident, please\u00a0call the non-emergency\u00a0Hate Crimes & Bias Incidents Hotline at\u00a01-855-225-1010\u00a0or\u00a0report it\u00a0immediately\u00a0on our\u00a0attorney\u00a0general\u2019s website:\u00a0https:\/\/fortress.wa.gov\/atg\/formhandler\/ago\/HateCrimeOrBiasIncident.aspx<\/a><\/p>\n

I understand the concerns people have\u00a0about\u00a0childcare\u00a0oversight\u00a0and accountability\u00a0for\u00a0how\u00a0public funds\u00a0are spent.\u00a0I agree that accountability and oversight of public resources are critical, and people who misuse these funds should be investigated and held responsible.\u00a0\u00a0But we must ensure that any allegation of wrongdoing is rooted\u00a0in facts and evidence\u00a0\u2014\u00a0not prejudice or\u00a0hate. There are\u00a0appropriate ways\u00a0to report and investigate fraud in our state,\u00a0and that does not include ambushing people in their homes or place of business.<\/p>\n

Washington has some of the strongest\u00a0childcare\u00a0oversight in the country.\u00a0All daycares are registered with yearly unannounced visits along with health and safety checks.\u00a0In addition, we have an independently\u00a0elected state auditor whose office annually\u00a0audits\u00a0state and federal\u00a0childcare\u00a0subsidies.\u00a0We take allegations of fraud seriously,\u00a0which is why we\u00a0have an Office of Fraud and\u00a0Accountability in our Department of Social and Health Services\u00a0to investigate claims.\u00a0Any suspicions of fraud should be reported to their hotline:\u00a0https:\/\/www.dshs.wa.gov\/ffa\/office-fraud-and-accountability<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sen. Tina Orwall (D-Des Moines) issued the following statement\u00a0in support of Washington’s Somali community: Over the past few weeks, the Somali community, especially those who\u00a0operate\u00a0childcare\u00a0centers\u00a0in our district,\u00a0has\u00a0become\u00a0a target\u00a0of harassment and baseless allegations of wrongdoing.\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0deeply saddened by how our\u00a0Somali neighbors have been treated\u00a0and made to\u00a0feel\u00a0unwelcome\u00a0and unsafe in their own homes. Our Somali neighbors are\u00a0valued\u00a0members\u00a0of our\u00a0district\u00a0who contribute to the beautiful diversity of\u00a0Washington state.\u00a0I stand with our Somali community and will\u00a0defend their right to live with dignity and respect.\u00a0If you or someone you know in the Somali community has experienced\u00a0a potential hate crime or bias incident, please\u00a0call the non-emergency\u00a0Hate Crimes & Bias Incidents…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":3927,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"disable_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-release"],"yoast_head":"\nOrwall issues statement in support of Washington's Somali community - Sen. Tina Orwall<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sen. 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