Immigrants

Does California give away interest-free home loans exclusively to "people who came into this country illegally," bypassing U.S. citizens? No, that's not true: California's AB-1840 bill never proposed such a measure. U.S. citizens who meet specific requirements are already eligible to participate in the California Dream for All program, and the 2024 bill would not change that. The claim appeared…

Has President Joe Biden "secretly flown 320,000 illegal immigrants from Latin American airports to 43 U.S. cities"? No, that's not true: The Biden administration called the claim "categorically false," noting it had publicly announced the immigration program in January 2023. The program includes individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The announcement stated that those granted permission to enter the…

Did United States Marines arrest two United States Customs and Border Protection Patrol agents for accepting bribes from immigrants for entry into the United States on February 19, 2024? No, that's not true: This claim appeared on a website that publishes fabricated content. Also, the United States Marine Corps does not have jurisdiction to arrest customs and border patrol officials.…

Did the San Francisco City Council appoint to the Board of Elections someone who a social media post called an "illegal immigrant"? No, that's not true: The person who was appointed to a commission in San Francisco is a "legal immigrant," the president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors told Lead Stories. And the person was not appointed to…

Does a video on social media show immigrants in Canada "forced" to live near busy train tracks in Toronto? No, that's not true: This video was shot in Lagos, the capital of Nigeria, and gained traction online during February 2024. A Nigerian government official responded to this video, which showed traders selling goods alongside a track as a train rushes…

Do undocumented immigrants in the United States not pay taxes? No, that's not true: The claim made by Elon Musk on X that "illegals in America" do not pay taxes is "absolutely false," the deputy director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a nonpartisan think tank, told Lead Stories. "Undocumented immigrants pay a range of taxes at every…

Did the Texas National Guard send tanks to its southern border in January 2024? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for the Texas National Guard told Lead Stories they are not sending tanks to the border. Multiple posts made versions of the claim but there is no evidence to substantiate any of those posts. The claim appeared in a post…

Was the mechanism of the background check conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to screen potential gun owners changed in a way that now allows undocumented residents to buy and possess guns in the United States? No, that's not true: On December 27, 2023, the bureau, abbreviated as the ATF, categorically denied such a change. The…

Does a video from 2015 show Joe Biden pledging to open U.S. borders to "an unrelenting stream of immigration"? No, that's not true: The quote by then-Vice President Biden from a White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism was taken out of context. In reality, he was discussing America's experience as a melting pot of diverse peoples and highlighting how…

Is the U.S. government planning to order young women to enlist in the military? No, that's not true: At the time of writing, November 17, 2023, there is no plan afoot to draft women, a Defense Department spokesperson told Lead Stories. There is currently no draft -- there hasn't been since 1973 -- and the law requires that only men…