Jay Feely’s False Claims

AZ Family, Phoenix New Times, the Copper Courier, the Arizona Republic and Axios reported on Jay Feely's claims about ICE shootings and immigrants, his answers on the 2020 election, and his ties to Kari Lake.

What is Jay Feely's record on ICE shootings under Obama, immigrants and housing costs, the 2020 election, and ties to Kari Lake?

AZ Family reported that Jay Feely's claim that 60 American citizens were shot and killed by ICE agents under President Obama does not check out, and Phoenix New Times reported that the study Feely cited shows far smaller effects of undocumented immigration on housing prices than he claimed. The Copper Courier reported on Feely's ties to Kari Lake, the Arizona Republic reported that Feely had refused to say Trump lost the 2020 election, and Axios reported that Feely later acknowledged Joe Biden won the 2020 election after evading the question throughout the primary.

Details

AZ Family called Jay Feely out for a "campaign claim [that] does not check out" after he falsely claimed in an interview following the two shooting deaths of U.S. citizens by ICE in Minnesota that 60 American citizens were shot and killed by ICE agents under President Obama. AZ Family reported that the 2016 "Fatal Neglect" report Feely's campaign sent to back the claim found that 56 detainees died in ICE custody but no American citizens were shot and killed by ICE agents. The Arizona Republic reported that Feely had refused to say Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. Axios reported on September 1, 2026 that Feely has since acknowledged that Joe Biden won the 2020 election after evading the question throughout the primary. Phoenix New Times reported that Feely cited a Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas study for his claim that undocumented immigrants account for 30% of the cost of buying a home and 20% of rent prices, but that the study's figures show undocumented immigration drove only a 2.9% increase in housing prices and a 1.9% increase in rents for the median market.

The Copper Courier reported on Jay Feely's ties to Kari Lake, including that in October 2024 Feely, under his legal name "Thomas Feely," made a $500 donation to Lake's victory fund, according to FEC data.

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