FACT CHECK: Is Law Enforcement Not Allowed To Arrest Illegal Immigrants?

A post shared on social media purports that law enforcement officers are not allowed to arrest illegal immigrants.

Verdict: False

The claim is inaccurate. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents arrested over 15,000 migrants at the U.S./Mexico border in February 2024.

A plot to assassinate former President George W. Bush was discovered by the U.S. Government, NBC News reported. Iraqi immigrant Shihab Ahmed Shihab in the U.S. allegedly planned to smuggle ISIS assassins through the Mexico border to kill Bush. The FBI arrested Shihab for the attempted murder of a federal official.

A post shared on Facebook alleges that US law prohibits border patrol agents from arresting illegal immigrants. The post includes a photo of a young boy fishing and giving a thumbs-up to the camera.

The post reads, “If you live in a country where you can be arrested for fishing without a license… but not for entering that country illegally…it’s safe to say that country is run by idiots.”

The claim is inaccurate. CBP data suggests hundreds of thousands of migrants are arrested and detained at the southern border every month, with over 300,000 encounters being reported in December alone. CNN reported 158,000 arrests in February occurred at the US/Mexico border.

This is not the first time misinformation has been shared online. Check Your Fact debunked a claim that an image showed Former President Donald Trump leading a crowd.

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