Immigration

Does a viral video document mass deportations of Walmart workers carried out by ICE? No, that's not true: The clip was produced by AI. It displayed the telling signs pointing to the artificial nature of the video, such as an ICE officer lacking his head. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published on TikTok on October 22, 2025.…

Did U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement "rebrand" itself to be publicly known as Homeland Security Investigators, not ICE? No, that's not true: ICE still exists under the same old name. "Homeland Security Investigators" discussed in social media posts is not a brand-new entity -- it has operated since 2010 as one of the major divisions within ICE, but the correct…

Is a video of an ICE agent deporting his own mother authentic? No, that's not true: The account that posted the video clearly labeled it "AI-generated parody - not real footage." The video shows signs it was produced by generative AI, such as scrambled symbols instead of clear letters on an officer's vest. The story appeared in an October 17,…

Does authentic video show U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detaining cats and dogs, as of October 9, 2025? No, that's not true: Viral clips showing cats and dogs being seized were products of generative AI. Their early versions displayed a removable watermark pointing to a specific app. They originated as online satire. The claim appeared in a post (archived here)…

Does a video of a police pursuit of a person in a pickle costume show a real-life scene? No, that's not true: The pickle video bears the watermark of Sora, an app from Open AI that generates videos from text prompts. No news organizations reported that such a pursuit took place. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published…

Did Nike or Under Armour donate face masks and clothing to ICE agents involved in arresting undocumented immigrants in the United States? No, that's not true: The TikTok host making the claim gave no supporting information about how he confirmed the claim. Lead Stories found no evidence to support the claim and several red flags raising questions about the credibility…

Do California and New York issue commercial driver's licenses with no name given, and did Oklahoma arrest 125 "illegals" with such CDLs? No, that's not true: The so-called "No Name Given" commercial driver's licenses include a mononym, which is a single name. The use of mononyms is legal in the United States and is even accepted for U.S. passports. State…

Did Antifa firebomb rapper Ice Cube's tour bus after they mistook it for an ICE vehicle on a Portland street? No, that's not true: As of September 27, 2025, investigators had not revealed any suspects or motive for the tire fire that damaged the front of the bus early Tuesday, September 23, 2025. There have been no news reports supporting…

Did Hyundai make an announcement that it was canceling its $4 billion EV battery plant in Georgia after the raid where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained 475 workers on September 4, 2025? No, that's not true: There is no impact to Hyundai's U.S. vehicle manufacturing operations following the ICE raid a company spokesperson told Lead Stories. Hyundai's president and…

Did Elon Musk buy a crumbling shelter in Los Angeles where he had volunteered as a teenager in order to rebuild it as Hope Haven, a sanctuary for homeless families? No, that's not true: Elon Musk never volunteered at a shelter in California as a teen because he was not in the USA as a teen. The deluxe private homes…