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.
The claim appeared in an article published by Real Raw News on February 21, 2024, titled "Marines Uncover CBP Border Conspiracy" (archived here). The article began:
United States Marines on assignment in Eagle Pass, Texas, arrested two CBP agents and three illegal aliens involved in a "bribe for entry into the U.S." operation Monday afternoon, a source in General Eric M. Smith's office told Real Raw News.
As reported previously, White Hats, with Gov. Abbott's blessing, have dispatched Marines to the southern border to shore up defenses against federal encroachment. The Marine Expeditionary Force has helped the Texas Military Department lay concertina wire and protect American citizens and their property from illegal aliens and corrupt feds.
Users on social media only saw this title, description and thumbnail:
(Source: RealRawNews.com screenshot taken Sat Feb 24 00:03 AM 2024 UTC)
Under the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, the military does not have the authority to arrest civilians or law-enforcement officials like the United States Customs and Border Protection Patrol agents mentioned in this article. This act can be voided under certain circumstances explicitly authorized by the U.S. Constitution or Act of Congress. However, Congress.gov (archived here) does not show legislation making such an authorization.
Lead Stories contacted U.S. Customs and Border Protection for a statement regarding the validity of this article' claim and will update this fact check if a response is received.
Additional Lead Stories fact checks that mention the U.S. Marines Corps and Real Raw News can be found here.
Real Raw News
Real Raw News has a long history of publishing false claims in mock news stories, many of them about convictions and executions of various public figures at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. For example, the site reported former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was hanged (she wasn't); former White House Chief of Staff John Podesta was executed (he wasn't); and "the military" convicted former Attorney General William Barr on charges of treason (it didn't).
The website for Real Raw News includes a disclaimer that declares the site does not stand by the contents of the stories, calling them entertainment. Specifically, it says:
Information on this website is for informational and educational and entertainment purposes. ... We have included this disclaimer for our protection, on the advice on legal counsel.
(Source: RealRawNews.com screenshot taken Tue Aug 3 16:39:48 UTC 2021)
