Illegal Migrants

Did U.S. Border Patrol find thousands of FEMA relief packages along the southern U.S. border in May 2025, which had been re-routed from hurricane-hit states for the benefit of undocumented immigrants? No, that's not true: That claim originated with a Facebook account that describes its content as satirical. America's Last Line of Defense is a frequent source of fake stories…

Did the Canadian government threaten a "100 percent tariff on Tesla" in February 2025? No, that's not true: While the federal government in Ottawa was considering its options, the Department of Finance Canada said," The claim is false." Instead, proposals to impose a 100 percent tax on Teslas came from individual Canadian politicians, not the government itself. The implied claim…

Did the Federal Emergency Management Agency fraudulently send $59 million to luxury hotels in New York City to "house illegal migrants"? It's complicated: A New York City Hall spokesperson told Lead Stories that New York "never paid luxury-hotel rates" and that about a third of the $59 million -- around $19 million -- covered "direct hotel costs." A Department of…

Is there evidence the Coca-Cola Company called Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on their own workers in Texas and did several of them get deported as a result? No, that's not true: Online posts and videos making this claim lack details about the concrete place and time this supposedly happened and they offer up differing versions of events. A…

Does a photo show handcuffed and chained Indians being deported from the U.S.? No, that's not true: The photo shows people from Guatemala sitting on a military aircraft at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas awaiting deportation to Guatemala. The photo previously appeared in several January 2025 media reports. The claim the picture showed people from India appeared in a…

Did Canada plan to stop sending energy to the United States in February 2025 because of President Donald Trump's tariffs? No, that's not true: After a call between the two leaders on February 3, 2025, both Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Trump said separately that tariffs were delayed for 30 days. As of this publication, Canada did not say…

Did President Trump redirect $2 billion meant for welfare programs for undocumented immigrants to the residents of North Carolina during the first week of his second term in 2025? No, that's not true: This claim is from a self-described satirical source. The Facebook page where the claim appeared included a bio that read, in part, "Nothing on this page is…

Is ICE offering $750 for each "illegal immigrant" that you "turn in through their tip form"? No, that's not true: Immigration and Customs Enforcement does have an online tip form, but there was "no guarantee" at the time of writing that the tip would result in financial compensation. There is no evidence on the ICE website that tips concerning illegal…

Did Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum say that migrant caravans will no longer reach the U.S. border from her country in response to President-elect Donald Trump's threat of tariffs? No, that's not true: Sheinbaum actually said migrant caravans "no longer arrive at the border" because of her country's "comprehensive policy to assist migrants." The other reason is a U.S. program set…

Did Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez admit that undocumented immigrants vote in U.S. elections? No, that's not true: She actually said families of undocumented people vote, not the undocumented themselves. Her full quote in context comes from her own official TikTok page. The claim appeared in a post and video on X (archived here) on November 11, 2024. It said: AOC admits…