Immigrant

Did a widely-shared video show a real Mexican soldier speaking to camera and saying "We're to help the people of Texas"? No, that's not true: The clip was produced using AI. The video contained telltale glitches such as the soldier's name badge reading "MEXICIO" instead of his name, and a small watermark in the corner of the video signified that…

Did U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren suggest that Mollie Tibbetts' family has "to remember we need to focus on real problems like illegal immigrants not being able to see their kids"? No, that's not true: The viral meme distorted Warren's 2018 comments on the case in which an undocumented worker was charged and later convicted of the 20-year-old woman's murder. During…

Did a reporter ask President Donald Trump whether he would self-deport, in light of his plan to end birthright citizenship? No, that's not true: A viral video on TikTok fabricated quotes from an unnamed reporter. A clip of Trump saying "Don't ask me questions like that" was actually recorded in 2016, and had to do with his stance on abortion.…

Are Los Angeles's massive traffic jams gone because of the mass deportations of illegal immigrants that are under way? No, that's not true: Google Maps showed lots of red and orange on Los Angeles highways, indicating clogged traffic, during the evening rush hour on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. A map screenshot purportedly of the previous evening's rush hour included in…

Is an image showing the Florida prison known as "Alligator Alcatraz" surrounded by a moat authentic? No, that's not true: The photo that has been shared on social platforms does not accurately depict the immigrant detention center erected at a Miami-Dade County, Florida, airport in June 2025. An AI detection tool concluded with 99.9% certainty that it was not real.…

Did a TikTok video shared widely in July 2025 accurately claim that shackled bodies found in Europe were deportees from the U.S. that ICE had dropped into the ocean from planes? Here's what we know: Lead Stories has so far found no evidence to support that shocking claim. Spain's Civil Guard told Lead Stories that "ICE deportations flights from the…

Does a widely-circulated video on social media authentically show an ICE agent outsmarted by a man he accused of being an illegal immigrant in a supermarket? No, that's not true: The video is a scripted skit using actors on a studio set. The page that posted the sketch routinely publishes similar scripted scenarios and is affiliated with Network Media, a…

Does the German government publish a sexual education website that includes a cartoon panel saying "Most German men will be happy to have gay sex with immigrants"? No, that's not true: The phrase doesn't appear on the German sex education site. The version circulating on X.com is a doctored version of an infographic used in multiple countries. The panel appearing…

Is a video of President Trump in the Oval Office saying Antifa is "very gay looking, very unathletic, very unlovable" authentic? No, that's not true: The video is an AI-altered version of Trump's May 5, 2025, appearance with NFL officials to announce that the 2027 NFL Draft will be held in Washington, D.C. The rant is not in the original…

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…