Threats rise after Phoenix migrant shelter targeted online by right-wing activist
The Welcome Center in Phoenix, which provides temporary shelter to asylum seekers released by federal immigration authorities, has been targeted in an online video by a far-right activist known for posting hidden camera stings.
Officials from the International Rescue Committee, which runs the center, said the highly edited video contains misinformation that has led to increased threats against staff and asylum seekers.
The video was posted Jan. 3 on X, formerly Twitter, by James O'Keefe III, the ex-CEO of the right-wing organization Project Veritas. The video falsely characterizes the center as being a "secret migrant facility" that buses thousands of migrants to the airport hourly.
The video has generated more than 33,000 likes, 17,000 reposts and 3.3 million views on X. The video was also promoted by Kari Lake, the former local television news anchor who lost the 2022 gubernatorial election in Arizona and is now a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate. Lake has made sealing the U.S. border with Mexico to address an unprecedented surge in asylum seekers a central part of her candidacy.
"The continued, planned destruction of our country continues," Lake said in reposting the video, in which O'Keefe accuses a Welcome Center employee of trying to bribe him while he confronts Welcome Center workers on camera.
What is the Welcome Center? Former school has sheltered thousands of asylum seekers
O'Keefe founded Project Veritas. The right-wing organization is known for using hidden cameras and hiding identities to try to ensnare journalists in embarrassing conversations and to reveal supposed liberal bias, the Associated Press has reported. O'Keefe was removed as CEO in February by the organization's board amid internal allegations that O'Keefe had spent an excessive amount of donor funds on personal luxuries, the AP reported.
O'Keefe's X profile identifies him as "Guerrilla Journalist & CEO of @okeefemedia."
In a written statement, the International Rescue Committee said the organization "is aware of online misinformation about the Phoenix Welcome Center, including a highly edited video confronting and harassing IRC staff. Amplification of this misinformation on social media has led to increased threats to our staff."
The organization is working with local authorities to ensure safety at its workplaces, the statement said.
The Welcome Center opened in 2019 at a vacant elementary school in central Phoenix to provide temporary shelter to migrants seeking asylum to remain in the U.S. after their release by federal immigration authorities.
Your questions, answered What does it mean to seek asylum in the US?
The center has not tried to hide its activities and was featured in an Arizona Republic story in July.
The center has been credited with helping to eliminate the chaos that occurred when federal immigration authorities previously released migrants at the Greyhound bus station in Phoenix by providing a safe and centralized location to provide temporary shelter to migrants after their release.
For security, however, there are no signs that identify the center, and the building is hidden from view by a chain link fence with screening and fortified with a surveillance system and heavy locking gates.
The bulk of the center's funding comes from federal emergency funding allocations to help communities provide aid to asylum seekers. The center also receives private donations. In July, The Republic reported the center had received nearly $9.9 million in public and private funding in 2023.
In addition to temporary shelter, the center provides essential humanitarian services, including food, medical screening and care, legal orientation, and travel assistance to migrants and their children released by federal authorities, according to the International Rescue Committee statement.
The center also helps those released by federal immigration authorities and lawfully in the U.S. reunite with family members and sponsors, the statement said.
Most asylum seekers leave the Welcome Center within 48 hours, the statement said.
"Seeking asylum is a legal right under U.S. federal law, and asylum seekers continue to engage with the immigration legal process after leaving the Welcome Center," the statement said.
In 2023, the center assisted 49,742 asylum seekers, up slightly from 49,394 the previous year, according to International Rescue Committee officials.
"Where others attempt to polarize and demonize, the IRC and its partners strive to provide solutions that work for both local communities and asylum seekers," the statement said.
When asked for a response to the IRC's statement, O'Keefe said he plans to go to "all the other secretive migrant facilities."
Daniel Gonzalez covers race, equity and opportunity. Reach the reporter at daniel.gonzalez@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8312.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix migrant shelter targeted in video by right-wing activist
