DHS accuses Hollywood stars of using influence, social media to spread falsehoods about ICE raids

Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Tricia McLaughlin is pushing back on some of Hollywood's biggest and most influential stars using their social media accounts to disseminate false and misleading information about the recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Los Angeles. 

Among them is actress Eva Longoria, who in an Instagram post last week said the ICE raids are taking place in elementary schools and at graduation ceremonies. 

"These round-ups are happening in birthday parties, in elementary school graduations, Home Depot," said Longoria, who has 10.6 million followers. "Those are not criminals and I hope that everybody has more compassion for this issue and realizes we have industries dependent on immigrant labor."

Just The News recently asked McLaughlin whether the ICE raids are indeed taking place in the locations Longoria listed, to which she replied: "It's not happening. But if you are an MS-13 gang member, if you are a violent criminal alien, and you try to seek safe harbor in a church or a courthouse or a kindergarten classroom, we will come and get you. 

"But to create this fear-mongering that we've seen from Eva Longoria, we've seen from Sabrina Carpenter and the who's who of Gen Z, it's just baloney."

The rumor about ICE raids at an elementary school graduation in Los Angeles was also debunked by the Los Angeles Times. However, an ICE raid at a Home Depot, where illegal migrants often hang out in the parking lot looking for day-labor jobs, in part sparked the anti-ICE demonstrations in Los Angeles. And arrests were reportedly made at a Hollywood location Thursday. 

One recent indication of the reach of social media is a new Pew Research study that finds over half of U.S. adults, 54%, say they sometimes or often get news from social media, up from 50% in 2023.

Another celebrity and influencer who recently appeared to post mis- or dis-information about the ICE raids in Los Angeles is Kim Kardashian.

Kardashian, a reality TV star who has 365 million Instagram followers, publicly criticized the raids as "inhumane." 

She also said in a June 10 Instagram story: "When we’re told that ICE exists to keep our country safe and remove violent criminals — great. But when we witness innocent, hardworking people being ripped from their families in inhumane ways, we have to speak up. We have to do what’s right.

"Growing up in LA, I’ve seen how deeply immigrants are woven into the fabric of this city. They are our neighbors, friends, classmates, coworkers, and family. No matter where you fall politically, it’s clear that our communities thrive because of the contributions of immigrants."

The Trump administration is detaining and deporting those suspected of having entered the U.S. illegally or having remained in the country illegally after legal entry, according to federal law, not "innocent" people. 

In addition, Kardashian's position appears counter to that of President Donald Trump, "border czar" Tom Homan, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and others in the administration who have said they are prioritizing the "worst first" for detention.

DHS's McLaughlin responded on X to Kardashian by asking which convicted criminals she would prefer to remain in the country.