State Dept fires staffer who told OMG he was helping illegal immigrants avoid deportation

A US State Department employee has been fired after appearing in an undercover video by James O’Keefe’s O’Keefe Media Group (OMG), in which he claimed to help illegal immigrants avoid deportation and made a series of inflammatory comments.

Arslan Akhtar, who handled visa applications for the department, was recorded by an undercover OMG journalist saying that he has advised illegal immigrants to stay silent to avoid removal by immigration authorities.

“I do say it to cab drivers that are from, like, Hispanic descent, I’m like, ‘Don’t talk to the police.’ I’m just saying, don’t admit the truth… If you want a loophole, keep your mouth shut,” Akhtar said. “That’s the best advice I could possibly give to those guys, because the good people get taken advantage of. Our immigration system can be really cruel.”

Akhtar ironically added, “I don’t get in trouble for things like that, unless you record me.”

In the same recording, Akhtar made multiple antisemitic remarks, saying, “A lot of the State Department is filled with Jewish people, terrible Jewish people.” He also voiced hostility toward Israel, stating, “F*ck these people [Israelis]. No, f*ck them.”

Akhtar expressed biased views about various ethnic groups during the conversation, singling out Yemeni visa applicants. “I hate them with a passion. They’re such awful people in the application process,” he said. “They are the most conniving group of folks, next to Indians… Oh, Bangladeshi people, they’re awful.”

Akhtar also mocked American citizens, particularly white Americans, whom he described as culturally dominant and dehumanizing

“When they talk to you, they talk to you like you’re lower than them,” he said, adding, “It’s a culture of hatred… a culture of dominance. They feel like they have the right to dominate everybody, to claim Greenland, to claim Canada, to claim Israel.”

In a particularly violent comment, Akhtar said of Elon Musk, “I would prefer him to be dragged out of the building with his hair plugs… and lynched on the street. We need a public justice, I think. That’s really what we need. We need a healthy dose of public justice.”

Following the release of the video, the State Department confirmed to OMG that Akhtar “is no longer an employee.” It also said the department will launch “a new contractor screening and vetting process.”

In a post on X, the State Department added, “This is just the beginning. These radicals with anti-American views have been embedded in our executive branch for generations and we are systematically cleaning out contractors that have allowed this. Let us be clear: If you have these views and you work in or with the State Department, we will find you.”