FACT CHECK: Post Claims Texas DPS Leader Called All Illegal Immigrants ‘Cockroaches’

Elias Atienza | Senior Reporter

A post shared on X claims Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Director Steve McCraw called all illegal immigrants “cockroaches.”

Verdict: Misleading

McCraw was referring to Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, not all illegal immigrants, according to a Texas DPS spokesperson. The full video shows he first refers to the gang as “cockroaches.”

Fact Check:

Social media users have been sharing a clip of McCraw, saying it shows him “referring to undocumented immigrants as ‘cockroaches’ that part of an ‘infestation.’

“Some have been finding it harsh using the term ‘infestation’ and ‘cockroaches’ and things like that. All you have to do is interview or spend some time with some migrant victims that are here in this country, and you understand the governor has not overstated the issue. In fact, he has well stated the issue, and Texas is not going to allow any part of this state to be infested with that type of disease,” McCraw says.

McGraw did refer to individuals as “cockroaches.” However, the context of the quote is that McCraw was referring to members of the Tren de Aragua gang, according to the San Antonio Current. Ryan Chandler, a reporter for KXAN News, posted a longer version on X.

“For context here, McCraw was referring specifically to Tren De Aragua gang members,” Chandler tweeted. (RELATED: Does This Photo Show Pope Francis Wearing An Oversized White Puffer Coat?)

In the video, McCraw says that Tren de Aragua “gangsters are like cockroaches.”

“They multiply quickly. Small intrusions into communities that become infestations if not aggressively pursued. These Venezuelan thugs, as the governor noted, are highly combative,” McCraw says.

A Texas DPS spokesperson told Check Your Fact that the “claim is absolutely false.”

“On Monday, during a press conference on the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, or TdA, Director McCraw began his remarks by saying TdA gangsters are like cockroaches. He goes on to explain how those gang members often prey on migrants. You can clearly hear all of that at the link below,” the spokesperson said. The spokesperson provided a link to to the entire press conference, which is available on YouTube.

We rate this claim as misleading.

Elias Atienza

Senior Reporter
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