Ted Cruz, MAGA Accounts Spread Old Videos to Smear ICE Protest
Several pro-Trump accounts were hit with Community Notes
Written by JD Wolf
Trump’s brutal ICE roundups have caused unrest in the Los Angeles area, and pro-Trump and right-wing accounts are flooding social media with disinformation aimed at painting Los Angeles as lawless and dangerous. The campaign, led by MAGA-aligned influencers, includes posting out-of-context footage, years-old videos, and outright fabrications to justify the sweeping arrests and vilify the city’s status as a sanctuary jurisdiction.
Ted Cruz received a Community Note for amplifying a video posted by actor James Woods, which used a May 2020 video of police cars on fire to counter claims that the protests against ICE were peaceful. Woods embedded the now-deleted 5-year-old video from another account (Concerned Citizen) that frequently receives fact-checks for attacks on NASA and for spreading unfounded conspiracies.
That same video was shared by multiple accounts, garnering millions of views. One of the accounts, DramaAlert, is verified on Twitter as an official organization.
Kevin Dalton, another account that defends Trump and frequently attacks Gavin Newsom, was hit with a Community Note which said the video he posted of looting to frame the current unrest was actually from last year.
Dr. Jane Ruby, another account popular on the right wing, claimed a robot dog video was recent, but it was actually from a Memorial Day parade.
Pro-Trump account “Kate” shared a video of fired-up Los Angeles soccer fans chanting and described it as “definitely an insurrection and threats against democracy.” The video from May had a graphic overlay that claimed: “Los Angeles 06/07/25, should we view this as an insurrection?”
Pro-Trump commentator Benny Johnson, who was caught being paid by a Russian operation, claimed ICE raided a Home Depot but was hit with a Community Note citing a Fox News reporter saying that DHS didn’t raid the home supply store, but were staging nearby.
“US Homeland Security News,” one of many verified accounts that have names mimicking official government entities and officials, posted:
“🚨🚨🚨Alert: Soros-funded organizations have ordered hundreds of pallets of bricks to be placed near ICE facilities to be used by Democrat militants against ICE agents and staff!! It's Civil War!!🔥🔥🔥”
However, according to a Community Note, the “photo of bricks is taken from a Malaysian building supply company” and “does not represent current events in LA.”
Pro-Trump account “AlphaFox,” which has over 715,000 followers, deleted this post after getting a Community Note. The account claimed an ICE agent ran over a protester, resulting in brain damage and death. The video didn’t show anyone getting run over.
Many MAGA-aligned accounts have a long track record of spreading false information during high-profile events, often exploiting moments of crisis to advance political narratives and boost engagement. Similar waves of disinformation surfaced during California’s wildfires and in the wake of major storms and flooding, where old or doctored footage was passed off as real-time chaos.
The examples above are just a glimpse into the daily onslaught of misleading posts that flood social media—some of which are only corrected after being widely circulated.
Screw Ted Cruz and his immigrant family. Send him packing back to Canada so they can deport his ass back to Cuba. So tired of his old BS. He fled the country during COVID while criticizing others for leaving. He is what you get when you allow someone to come into the country, take advantage of the freedoms it grants and then spins it to hurt the same people trying to take benefit from the same things. He is another mouth piece of the regime and when this is over, he will be held accountable like all the others. The two faced “well, I didn’t mean that”. The public will remember.
Benny Johnson Russian propaganda network guy? Didn't he receive over 100k for each misinformation video he posted for the Russians?