TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A congressional western caucus which visited the southern Arizona border last weekend ended with two congressmen taking their own trip to visit a migrant facility.
A video was posted to “X” by a Republican from Wisconsin, Tom Tiffany, asking to be let inside, along with Republican Congressman Doug LaMalfa from California.
The video shows staffers refusing access to the hotel. As of now the video has over two million views and even received a reply from Elon Musk.
It ends with employees calling 911 on the representatives and a sheriff’s deputy coming to the scene. The congressmen then leave the area while promising to come back and hold a field hearing on the hotel.
Casa Alitas is now responding to the video, as director Diego Lopez explains what happened, and why the representatives were denied entry to the local hotel.
“The refusal of the tour is we didn’t have the right staff on site to give a tour," Lopez said. "I was not part of the 911 call, but the staff at the hotel felt uncomfortable with how they were being approached.”
Lopez says a tour of the hotel was also denied because Representative Tiffany showed up unannounced.
Sheltering migrants in hotels is something that has been happening in Tucson for years.
KGUN reported on migrants staying at hotels in 2021 and have followed along as the county supervisors approved more federal funding for sheltering migrants.
“It was a secret for people who are not from here or unfamiliar with how to use Google," Mark Evans, a spokesperson for Pima County said.
Evans adds the county has spent $65 million federal dollars on migrants since 2019
He also tells me the claim from Congressman Tiffany in his post that Casa Alitas is assisting “illegal immigrants” is false.
“The federal government has been taking people into custody who are crossing the border. Those people are making asylum claims and they’re being released into the country," Evans said. "Legally, that is the law, and they’re waiting in the country until they get an adjudication on that asylum claim."
U.S. Code 8, Section 1158 says migrants can legally ask for asylum in the U.S. even if they illegally cross the border.
Lopez added Casa Alitas makes sure all of the migrants they assist have a legal standing to be in America.
"We check everyone who comes through the shelter for their papers and immigration status," Lopez said.
In a separate social post, Congressman Tiffany says a migrant at the airport showed him a travel itinerary.
In the post he says "...illegal aliens are flying around our country. Funded by AMERICAN taxpayer dollars."
Casa Alitas says the migrant who showed their paper in the post paid for their own flight, and the document isn’t proof of the organization funding migrant travel with taxpayer money.
“The sheet of paper is simply a guide. At the top it says I need help, help me understand the next stages of my journey," Lopez said
Lopez adds 97% of the migrants they receive pay for their own travel.
The other 3% of migrants Casa Alitas does pay for are for rare circumstances where migrants need immediate assistance.
Evans and Lopez both said these recent posts and videos have caused issues for both the county and Casa Alitas.
“There’s been a lot of threats associated with that, and angry phone calls.” Evans said.
“It’s been a little disheartening having people attacking the work, attacking the staff, and the safety of these families coming through seeking for asylum," Lopez said.
Lopez says many members of Congress, including Democrats, Republicans, and Independents have all toured Casa Alitas.
He says all members of Congress can get tours by going through the proper process.
“Please just show up on a time, have your staffers reach out to me, and we can work something out," Lopez said.
Congressman Tiffany’s office responded to requests for an interview in this story saying he was presently unavailable, but arranged for an interview over Zoom while he is in Washington D.C. on February 14.