The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused KTLA, a Los Angeles-based news station, of “dishonest reporting” after the station initially appeared to omit the department’s statement on a recent immigration-related arrest.
KTLA reported Monday that local residents were “outraged and devastated” by what the station described as an “immigration raid on L.A. church grounds” at the North Hills United Methodist Church, where “a beloved community member” was arrested Thursday.
The DHS’ official X account responded Tuesday, saying that U.S. Border Patrol did not target the church referenced in the story and criticized KTLA’s characterization of the incident.
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“This is dishonest reporting by @KTLA. KTLA omitted our official statement, sent to them yesterday, which clearly states that U.S. Border Patrol did NOT target the United Methodist Church or its parking lot in North Hills, California. We look forward to them updating their story, but screenshots are forever,” DHS wrote in a post on X.
DHS said that the suspect in the arrest, Carlos Chavez-Guzman, was an illegal alien from Mexico who was previously removed from the United States in 2016 and fled from law enforcement at the time of his arrest, leading agents to the church.
The department also included a screenshot of its statement about the arrest to KTLA, which was sent Monday afternoon.
According to the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, KTLA did not add the full DHS statement to its story until Tuesday.
“KTLA has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment on the incident but did not receive an immediate response. This story will be updated when the Department of Homeland Security responds to KTLA’s request for comment,” the story originally read early Tuesday morning.
KTLA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
The updated story included the full DHS statement, which encouraged participation in the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Home App for voluntary self-deportation.
“We encourage all illegal aliens to take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The United States is offering illegal aliens $2,600 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return,” the statement read.
