gangs Archives - FactCheck.org

Intelligence Memo Undercuts Trump’s Immigration Argument

May 9, 2025

When the Washington Post reported via anonymous sources that a government intelligence assessment concluded the Venezuelan government was not directing the migration of members of the Tren de Aragua gang to the United States, Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, said those “behind this illegal leak of classified intelligence” had “twisted and manipulated [the information] to convey the exact opposite finding.” The redacted report shows the Post’s reporting was accurate.

Q&A on the Alien Enemies Act and Tren de Aragua in the U.S.

March 28, 2025

The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to lift a District Court judge’s order blocking the use of an obscure 18th century law to summarily expel Venezuelan immigrants. Earlier this month, the administration sent hundreds of immigrants to an El Salvador prison because, officials alleged, they were members of a dangerous gang. We’ll lay out the facts as we know them regarding the key issues.

Trump Stump Speeches: Immigration

October 25, 2018

Here we look at some of the false, misleading and unsupported claims the president has made about immigration in seven speeches over 12 days, from Erie, Pennsylvania, to Missoula, Montana.

More MS-13 Gang Nonsense

June 29, 2017

President Donald Trump is once again grossly exaggerating the success of his efforts to deport members of the MS-13, a gang founded by El Salvadoran immigrants.

FactChecking Trump’s Iowa Rally

June 22, 2017

The 2020 presidential campaign is more than 1,200 days away, but President Donald Trump held yet another Make America Great Again rally — this time in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. And, as he did in past campaign speeches, Trump spoke for a long time and reeled off numerous false and misleading claims.

Trump’s MS-13 Miss

April 19, 2017

President Donald Trump blamed the Obama administration for allowing “bad MS 13 gangs to form in cities across U.S.” due to “weak illegal immigration policies.” The MS-13 gang was formed in Los Angeles in the 1980s and had spread across the country years before Barack Obama was elected president.

Sleazy, False and ‘Racist’ Hit in LA

June 21, 2011

A conservative group falsely claims in a web ad that Democrat Janice Hahn "hired hardcore gang members with taxpayer money to be gang intervention specialists" in South Los Angeles. It's true that Hahn, a city councilwoman running in a special election for Congress, supports the city's gang intervention programs, but she made no direct payments to gang members. It's also true that the city funds nonprofits that use ex-gang members to help settle gang disputes, but the city money is used to fund administrative costs,