Protests continued in Minneapolis after Renee Good was fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, and social media users began circulating a false claim about Enrique Tarrio, a former Proud Boys leader. Posts falsely identified Tarrio as an ICE officer.
In a fact check, the Associated Press reported that DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the claim was not true. McLaughlin said, “This individual was never hired by ICE,” speaking for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE. She also said, “ICE only recruits patriotic professionals who respect our nation’s laws, care about their communities, and have the integrity and moral compass to perform such critical roles in keeping America safe.”
McLaughlin described the online allegations as smear tactics, saying the claims were “the types of smears that vilify our brave ICE law enforcement.” The Associated Press reported that both ICE and Tarrio said Tarrio is not now, and has not been, employed by the agency.
Tarrio, for his part, addressed the posts on X. The Associated Press reported that Tarrio wrote in a Tuesday X post, “A list I’m finally happy to be part of…” It also reported that he clarified in a Wednesday post that the claims were not true while saying he wishes he worked for ICE. In another post on Thursday, Tarrio called his initial post “satire,” the AP reported.
Despite those denials, the AP said users continued to identify Tarrio as an ICE officer across multiple social media platforms. One X post cited by the AP read: “Proud Boy Leader / Convicted Felon Enrique Tarrio, Is one of Trump’s Nazi ICE agents. Imagine that,” and the AP reported it had received nearly 74,000 likes and shares as of Friday.
The Associated Press also discussed the role of an ICE-focused list site in the spread of the misinformation. The AP reported that a DHS whistleblower allegedly leaked details for about 4,500 ICE and Border Patrol employees to ICE List, an independent website that collects information related to federal immigration enforcement in the United States.
According to the AP, Tarrio does have an entry on ICE List, but he is not listed as affiliated with any agency. The AP reported that his role on the site is identified as “Propagandist; Agitator.”
Overall, the claim that Tarrio is an ICE officer was contradicted by ICE and the DHS spokesperson, and it was also denied by Tarrio in his own posts on X, the Associated Press reported.