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One conversation at the border during Rebel News reporter Alexa Lavoie’s recent trip to Ceuta, Spain, nearly landed her in harm’s way, as an onlooker threw a rock at her, presumably intending to interrupt her polite, consensual conversation with some other individuals.

However, Alexa shared on Friday’s Rebel Roundup livestream that most of the people she spoke with were not antagonistic, but eager to tell her their stories. It was difficult to determine whether the stories they told her were accurate; even media outlets have been caught staging footage to elicit maximum sympathy.

For example, a video circulating online captured footage of a media organization filming a young boy sitting on a rock on the beach. Once the filming was finished, the film crew clapped as the boy walked back over to them.

“Everything was staged, just to get the sympathy and to get more money from the European Union to provide assistance,” Alexa said. “And it worked!”

The EU has since pledged €114 million to Spain to aid in the border crisis, €28 million of which is intended to reinforce the “reception, asylum, and return system” in Ceuta.

A system like this would be ideal for some of the thousands who illegally crossed into Ceuta, including those who told Alexa they did so because their criminal histories may have prevented them from entering legally. Alexa’s conversation with an American citizen visiting to assist his nephew and other illegal border crossers highlighted this crucial point:

“What he was saying to us [was] like, ‘I do not understand. Most of them have a decent life in Morocco. They don’t need to cross illegally, but they did it anyway. And I would say that [some] of them are bad people and we don’t want them back.’”