AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura
On Wednesday, an inaccurate report on cable news sent MAGA-world into an anti-immigrant meltdown. In its initial coverage of the New Orleans terror attack, Fox News reported that the truck used in the mass killing had been driven over the southern border just days ago by the suspect. Within minutes, President-elect Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that “the
criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country.” On X, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) raged, “Shut the border down!!!”, while Donald Trump Jr. declared “Biden’s parting gift to America – migrant terrorists.”
The New Orleans suspect was killed while exchanging fire with the police on New Year’s Day. Fox News subsequently retracted its story, and later even fact-checked Trump’s assertions about the suspect’s immigration status.
This episode is a disturbing illustration of the power of misinformation. The president-elect, Republican lawmakers, and their
allies were reckless to amplify a story about the terror suspect without waiting for confirmation from law enforcement authorities.
Such snap judgements are irresponsible
The villain here is not Fox News. Like all media outlets occasionally do, the network made an error in covering a story. After learning that its anonymous sources were wrong, Fox hosts and reporters noted correctly that the suspect was a Texas resident, a veteran, and a native-born U.S. citizen. They pointed out that the truck he used to plow into a crowd on Bourbon Street was a rental. While the vehicle may have crossed the border in November, it was not being driven by the suspect at that time.
It is troubling how quickly leading conservative voices were willing to spin a horrific episode to their political advantage. Fox News made a mistake, and then conservatives ran with it. Worse, after Fox clarified its story, Trump doubled down on his rhetoric, posting again on social media that “This is what happens when you have OPEN BORDERS.”
On Fox Business, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) likewise suggested that President Biden’s “wide open border” was to blame for the attack carried out by an American citizen. To Trump and Johnson, it seems, the senseless deaths of at least 14 people were little more than another opportunity to scapegoat migrants.
The ongoing GOP fear-mongering around immigration is dangerous because it could well drive more hate crimes against Muslims, Latinos, and immigrants. Consider that in
In response to this latest controversy, Trump’s communications director told the Washington Post that, “President Trump rightfully highlighted that criminals crossing the border have committed some of the most heinous crimes this country has witnessed in its history.” But research by news outlets, government agencies, and universities have consistently debunked the idea that crimes committed by migrants reflect an overall trend. Most migrants apprehended at the border do not have a criminal conviction (unlike the president-elect). Unauthorized border crossings have dropped significantly in the last few months.
It is hardly shocking that Trump and his allies are distorting the news to fit their inaccurate narratives. In September, the Trump
campaign mischaracterized Homeland Security statistics on undocumented immigrants with criminal records, asserting that 425,000 migrants entered the country during Biden’s term. These numbers actually spanned four decades and included non-citizens. However, the fact that trafficking in immigration falsehoods has become standard operating procedure in today’s GOP does not make it acceptable.
Our immigration debate has become so toxic that when one undocumented migrant allegedly commits a crime, like burning a woman to death on the New York City subway, it leads to calls for mass deportations and to close the border. Yet when a high-
It is profoundly sad that, at a time of national mourning, the president-elect is elevating lies and hate over sorrow and compassion. The people of New Orleans – and all Americans – deserve better.
Raul A. Reyes is an attorney and contributor to NBC Latino and CNN Opinion. Follow him on X at: @RaulAReyes, Instagram: @raulareyes1.