Immigrants

Can non-U.S. citizens use a driver's license to vote in U.S. elections as an X post suggested Haitian immigrants in Springfield are doing? No, that's not true: Only U.S. citizens who are older than 18 and have registered to vote can vote in the presidential election, according to the Ohio Laws and Administrative Rules website and the U.S. government website.…

Did Kamala Harris let 500,000 criminals, including 15,000 rapists and 13,000 murderers, into the United States and they are now "roaming the country"? No, that's not true: A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told Lead Stories that the "data goes back decades" and is being "misinterpreted." Most of these individuals did not arrive during the Biden-Harris administration, according to Immigration…

Did a real weatherman named "Jim Acosted" break down and rant on air about his ex-wife, Helene, while discussing Hurricane Helene? No, that's not true: The "Jim Acosted" video is satirical and features a comedian playing a fictional weatherman whose ex-wife is named "Helene." The comedian acts in numerous videos on the YouTube channel Valuetainment Comedy. The claim appeared in…

Does a video on social media show a "Haitian militia" in Springfield, Ohio? No, that's not true: The video shows a group called Israel United in Christ, which describes itself as a nonviolent organization of "Israelites." The group's website says, "WE DON'T ADVOCATE OR CONDONE ANY ACTS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST ANY RACE, ETHNICITY OR GENDER!" The claim appeared in a…

Do reports of missing cats in Bangor, Maine, prove that Haitian immigrants were involved with their disappearances? No, that's not true: A Bangor police officer told Lead Stories there's nothing linking the missing cats to Haitians or any other group of people. The officer said it's much more likely that wild predators have been feeding on the felines or that…

Did a video show several Black men in Springfield, Ohio, opening a suitcase full of frogs and showing them to the camera? No, that's not true: The video appeared earlier on TikTok with a caption that said it was from a Carnival in Grenada. It likely shows a Jab Jab masquerade where greased-up performers sometimes carry around live animals. Lead…

Does a police report prove that Haitian immigrants killed and mutilated a cat in Springfield, Ohio, as a post on X claimed? No, that's not true: the police report included in the post stated there was "no evidence to support" a caller's claim about Haitian immigrants stealing and killing her cat. It said that it was unknown if the meat…

Does a viral video capture "Bosnian neighbors" roasting a dog in their backyard in the U.S.? No, that's not true: A Cornell University professor of veterinary medicine told Lead Stories that what is seen in the years-old footage does not show dog or even carnivore anatomy, speculating it could be a lamb or a goat. The video recycled an old…

Is the average IQ in Haiti 67 as claimed by various posts on social media? No, that's not true: The number is not based on any actual IQ testing in Haiti. It comes from a decades-old book co-authored by an Irish academic who was later stripped of his title. The book used a questionable methodology based on data from neighboring…

Did CNN's fact checker say that Kamala Harris "lied 17 times in the first ten minutes" of the presidential debate? No, that's not true: The claim comes from a network of websites that clearly labels the work as satire, parody and fiction. Also, a spokesperson for CNN told Lead Stories that the claim was "false." The claim appeared in a…