FACT CHECK: Viral Video Claims To Show Migrants Attempting To Storm US-Mexico Border
A video shared on Twitter claims to show migrants attempting to storm the border between the United States and Mexico.
We are being invaded
Dont let them lie about it
It is a constant flow, and with what is about to expire…the real flood is coming
Title 42 expires May 11, 2023. pic.twitter.com/2EWEnKuKf9— TexanLady (@TexanLady40) May 3, 2023
Verdict: False
The video was taken in Melilla, Spain, not on the U.S-Mexico border.
Fact Check:
A surge of migrants is heading to the U.S. ahead of significant changes to pandemic-related border policies, according to The Associated Press. The changes are set to take place May 11, the same day the national emergency for COVID-19 is set to expire, the outlet reported.
The Twitter video shows migrants attempting to climb a border wall. The tweet reads, “We are being invaded. Dont let them lie about it It is a constant flow, and with what is about to expire…the real flood is coming Title 42 expires May 11, 2023.”
However, through a reverse image search, Check Your Fact found that the video originated in March 2022 and is from an entirely different country. A still from the video was shared as a headline from the Spanish news outlet La Vanguardia. The full video was also published in another article from the outlet.
The video shows several men in uniform, and the back of one of the uniforms appears to read “Guardia Civil,” a Spanish national police force. A spokesperson for the Guardia Civil confirmed to AFP Fact Check that the video was taken in Melilla.
2,500 migrants did attempt to cross Melilla’s border fence from the Moroccan side of the border in March 2022, according to Al Jazeera. Both migrants and police officers suffered injuries during the attempt, the outlet reported. (RELATED: Viral Image Claims To Show MH370 Airplane Wreck)
AFP Fact Check geolocated the video to a road in Melilla. Check Your Fact confirmed the geolocation with Google Street View, as well.
This is not the first time an image or video has been falsely attributed to the U.S.-Mexico border. Check Your Fact recently debunked an image allegedly showing migrants crossing a bridge.
