Democrats and legacy media mislead public on immigration and deportation issues

In a recent spate of disinformation from Hollywood, celebrities like Olivia Rodrigo, Mark Ruffalo, and Kim Kardashian are conflating two different groups of immigrants: legal and illegal. In each of their expressions of outrage, they invoke "immigrants," as though lawful, documented legal immigrants are being deported, misleading their fan base who uphold their statements as the truth. 

Illegal aliens and lawful immigrants to the United States are not equivalent, as a Congressional Research Service report explains. Yet that hasn't stopped politicians, liberal media or celebrities from conflating the two, and sowing fear in the hearts of those who rely on them for information.  

The disinformation exported by celebrities follows the trend of elected Democrats who have made the same conflation when opposing President Donald Trump's immigration policies, including mass deportations which were vastly supported by the American people leading up to the election and are still extremely popular with his base. 

CBS News poll: 62% of voters support deportation of illegals

In June of last year, a CBS News/YouGov poll found that a majority of registered voters, 62%, favor "a new national program to deport all undocumented immigrants currently living in the US illegally." Additionally, the same program was popular with 53% of Hispanics. One year later in June of this year, the same poll found that Americans still approve of the deportations by a margin of 54% to 46% who disapprove. 

Furthermore, in an American National Election Studies (ANES) analysis by CNN's Harry Enten, immigrant voters here legally, who favored Democrats by 32 points in 2020 on immigration, now trust Republicans more on that issue by eight points.

Pop star Olivia Rodrigo posted a story to her Instagram account in June saying, "I’m deeply upset about these violent deportations of my neighbors under the current administration. LA simply wouldn’t exist without immigrants." She made no distinction between legal and illegal immigrants. 

She continued, "Treating hardworking community members with such little respect, empathy, and due process is awful," ignoring the thousands of recidivist, violent felons who have been removed from immigrant communities across the country, including Los Angeles, making the community -- including legal immigrants -- safer. 

Actor Mark Ruffalo participated in the June "No Kings" protest in New York City where he wore a hat with the word "immigrant" on it. Ruffalo was in fact born in Wisconsin. He posted on Threads in July that "the immigrants aren't the criminals...most of the crimes committed in this country are by white people." 

Like others, Ruffalo never distinguished legal from illegal immigrants, and his statement about "white people" committing "most of the crimes does not stand up to scrutiny. For example, the California court system reports that Black individuals make up 19.5 percent of felony defendants but only 5.7 percent of the total California population. 

Kim Kardashian, who rose to popularity and considerable wealth on the basis of a widely-distributed sex video, posted the following sentiment: “Growing up in L.A., I've seen how deeply immigrants are woven into the fabric of this city. They are our neighbors, friends, classmates, coworkers and family.” The reality-TV star made no distinction between the violent offenders who are being removed and lawful, legal immigrants whose communities are benefiting from criminals being removed.

Taxes do not outweigh social costs

The conflation between the two groups of immigrants does not end with defense of their communities. Allies of illegal aliens often cite that they pay taxes. While it's true that many do, a cost-benefit analysis reveals that illegal immigration hurts America's economy more than it helps. The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) conducted a study in 2023 that found that illegal immigrants pay about $32 billion in taxes, but the gross negative economic impact of illegal immigration was $182 million. Therefore, the net cost of illegal immigration for the United States – at the federal, state, and local levels – was at least $150.7 billion.

Celebrities in LA may have one group to blame for their disinformation: elected Democrats, namely their mayor, Karen Bass, who got hoodwinked by a recent deportation case that turned out to be a hoax.  

In July 2025, Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon, a 41-year-old Mexican woman living in South Los Angeles, was charged last week by federal authorities with orchestrating a fake kidnapping by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to gain public sympathy and solicit donations. 

On June 30, her family and attorney held a press conference claiming that she was abducted from a Jack in the Box parking lot in downtown LA, driven to the U.S.-Mexico border, and presented with self-deportation paperwork. Her daughter launched a GoFundMe page to raise $4,500, alleging Calderon was whisked away by masked men in an unmarked vehicle. 

Federal investigators, after confirming Calderon was not in ICE custody, tracked her down and surveillance footage showed her leaving the Jack in the Box lot and entering a sedan willingly. Phone records also indicated the story was fabricated. Authorities allege Calderon created fake photos of her “rescue” to appear abused in ICE custody, planning a second press conference on July 6 to boost donations.

Interestingly, the left-leaning New York Times reported that the House passed a bill in January to mandate deportation and block entry into the United States for immigrants with uncertain status who are convicted of or admit to sex crimes or domestic violence. The bill was approved by a bipartisan majority with a vote of 274 to 145, with 61 Democrats joining all Republicans in backing the legislation. The Senate version of the bill has languished in committee.