Federal immigration officers arrested a Kenyan illegal alien employed by Washington State's Department of Children, Youth and Families, an agency already facing scrutiny over alleged fraud and repeated financial failures.
Stanley Robert Kengu Muthee was even wearing a DCYF uniform when ICE officers arrested him on Oct. 26.
According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he also claimed prior work in Washington state corrections.
ICE said Muthee entered the United States on Feb. 6, 2019, with permission to remain until Aug. 5 that year. He overstayed and later obtained work authorization three times during the Biden administration, the agency said.
"Illegal aliens should not be working for state governments Americans should expect better from the offices meant to serve them but nonetheless, a job with the state of Washington doesn't come with a free pass to ignore federal immigration law," said ICE Assistant Director of Public Affairs Micah Bock. Officers served the Nairobi native with an arrest warrant.
ICE said he will remain in custody pending removal proceedings. DCYF confirmed Muthee's employment.
Communications Director Nancy Gutierrez said he began work Aug. 16, 2024, and supplied documentation indicating he was authorized to work when hired. She said the department had not been notified of a status change.
The arrest lands amid mounting questions about DCYF's oversight of taxpayer money. Auditors could not fully verify more than $1.3 billion in federal childcare spending between fiscal years 2021 and 2024, and a later review estimated tens of millions in questionable payments.
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