Federal officials shared a post on social media last weekend that wrongly accused a Connecticut state lawmaker of publishing detailed location information about deportation efforts by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, triggering a torrent of harassment against him.
The lawmaker, Corey P. Paris, of Stamford, said that he had received threats against his life and his relatives. A spokesman with the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection said the State Police were investigating the incident.
In a message posted on Instagram, Mr. Paris, a Democrat, told followers on Friday that he had learned of immigration enforcement efforts in his district and wanted to warn residents to “remain vigilant.”
The influential right-wing account Libs of TikTok then shared his post on X, claiming that he was “doxxing ICE’s live location” and “helping illegals evade arrest and impeding ICE,” even though Mr. Paris had not named any specific places where agents had been seen. The lawmaker said in an interview that he has never shared exact locations of ICE activity.
The Libs of TikTok post tagged ICE’s official account and urged the agency to “charge him,” referring to Mr. Paris. ICE officials republished the post the next day and tagged the Justice Department’s account.
“When ICE re-shared that post, it didn’t just validate misinformation; it legitimized dangerous rhetoric that put my safety at risk,” Mr. Paris said. “And federal agencies should not be in the business, quite frankly, of targeting elected officials for speaking up about community safety. That’s our job.”
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The post ICE Wrongly Suggests Lawmaker Doxxed Agents, and Racist Threats Follow appeared first on New York Times.
