Immigrants

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…

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 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…

Did Indians or Pakistanis set fire to a church in Wales in April 2025? No, that's not true: In response to widely-shared social media rumors, South Wales Police told Lead Stories there was "no link to India or Pakistan at all" in their investigation into a fire at the Bethany English Calvinistic Methodist Chapel in Port Talbot. Two local teenage…

Did U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi threaten that anyone saying "Fuck Trump" may get "15 years in El Salvador" for doing that? No, that's not true: The viral image with the supposed quote was not an authentic screenshot of Bondi's interview. In the picture circulating on social media, the contents of the lower banner were digitally replaced with a made-up…

Are Muslim immigrants the reason why there are piles of garbage in the neighborhoods of Birmingham, England? No, that's not true: Refuse workers in Birmingham, England, are "taking all out indefinite strike action" starting on March 11, 2025. They began striking in January over job cuts, and for better pay. The garbage piles up because it is not being hauled…

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…