Immigration And U.S.

Did CNN report that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who "un-alived" Minnesota nurse Alex Pretti and claimed "self-defense" was found "not-guilty"? No, that's not true: A search across the network's website did not show any CNN story saying that happened. Talking to Lead Stories, CNN's spokesperson said that the claim is false. As of this writing, none of the…

You might have seen or heard rumors about ICE agents being deployed at the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina, Italy, to help provide security. The Lead Stories Rome office looked into what is actually happening, so you know what is going on if you see social media posts about it. Agents from the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI),…

Was Alex Pretti fired over complaints of inappropriate conduct with patients three months before federal agents fatally shot him on a Minneapolis street? No, that's not true: The claim was started by a spam factory based in Vietnam that uses artificial tools to publish fake articles promoted by Facebook pages also managed from Vietnam. The article named the wrong hospital…

Did a projector cast onto Trump Tower a cartoon of Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino spilling blood? No, that's not true: The video was created by an artist who told Lead Stories the drawing was theirs, but the montage superimposing it on Trump Tower is AI-generated. The artist previously published the same image of Bovino on their website and on…

Was Evan Kilgore the federal agent who shot and killed U.S. citizen and registered nurse Alex Pretti during an immigration enforcement raid in Minneapolis? No, that's not true: Kilgore denied he worked for immigration enforcement agencies and threatened to sue those who spread the claim on social media. Lead Stories found nothing suggesting that the conservative commentator had built a…

Are tow trucks impounding ICE vehicles in Atlanta because the U.S. Constitution's 10th amendment does not allow ICE to drive on state roads? No, that's not true: The claim is a satirical post from a known satire account. The 10th amendment simply gives to the American states powers that are not specifically delegated to the federal government elsewhere in the…

Is a five-year-old Minnesota boy's father a "criminal illegal alien" who abandoned him in a running car at their home, running away when confronted by Immigration & Customs Enforcement officers? Here's what we know so far: School officials who were at the scene Jan. 20, 2026 when the boy and his father were taken into custody say that's not true.…

Did Proud Boys founder Enrique Tarrio say he works for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement? No, that's not true. Tarrio sarcastically replied to a tweet claiming his name appeared on a leaked list of ICE employees, but later clarified that he does not work for the agency. The claim originated from a January 13, 2026, post by Tarrio on his…

Did U.S. citizen Renee Good, shot and killed in Minneapolis by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on January 7, 2026, actually live elsewhere outside Minnesota? No, that's not true: Multiple credible media outlets described her as a resident of that city. The Minneapolis Mayor said that Good lived there on the day of her death. The claim was made…

Does a video titled "Operation Metro Freeze" show real footage of a deportation flight in Minnesota? No, that's not true: AI made that clip. Early versions of it showed a watermark pointing to a specific generative AI tool and it's unlikely a military transport plane would have a tail number like the one in the video. The claim appeared in…