Activists fight immigration raid rumors causing chaos and fear in Dallas’s Hispanic community.
DALLAS — Activists in the Dallas-Fort Worth area are fighting back against rumors of immigration arrests that are creating unprecedented chaos. The rumors, mostly unfounded, have only caused fear in the Hispanic community and affected business for vendors.
Erika Tamez, who has managed a gas station along Loop 12 in Dallas for two decades, said the situation has caused an overwhelming amount of emotional stress.
“It creates a lot of emotional stress. It creates a lot of fear,” said activist Carlos Quintanilla.
The rumors began after a single post falsely claimed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was conducting a raid at the gas station in West Dallas. The post alleged that 20 people were detained inside the business, but the truth was far different.
“That they have 20 people on the floor… no, that’s not true,” said Tamez, clarifying that the arrests were actually carried out by Dallas Police for an unrelated matter.
As the misinformation spread, local activists, including Carlos Quintanilla, stepped in to combat the panic. Misinformation refers to false or misleading information shared regardless of intent to deceive, while disinformation is false information deliberately spread to mislead people.
“We got to go out and do our reporting. We want people to have normal lives,” Quintanilla said, explaining that live on-the-ground videos were shared to dispel the false reports. Those live videos are circulating on their respective social media pages and appear to be gaining traction.
Quintanilla said there is a local network of people who are committed to ensuring the veracity of these immigration arrest claims. Despite these efforts, the damage was already done.
“Because of all of these rumors, people are afraid to go out,” Tamez said, emphasizing how the fear has affected both vendors inside the gas station and people on the outside who rely on the business.
Quintanilla added that the recent immigration arrests have been targeted and not sweeping. According to a spokesperson for ICE’s Dallas Field Office, 84 arrests were made in cities across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, including Dallas, Arlington, Fort Worth, Irving, Garland, and Collin County.
“If you have a broken headlight, fix it. If you have a warrant for tickets, pay them. Don’t give [law enforcement] any reason,” he advised, encouraging the community to stay calm and address any legal issues proactively.
For this community, the battle is not only against fear but also against the spread of misinformation.
