In late March 2026, a rumor circulated online that Walmart heiress Christy Walton took out a full page ad in The New York Times, criticizing Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Walton is a billionaire with a net worth of $23.5 billion, as of March 25, according to Forbes, and is the widow of John T. Walton, the son of Walmart cofounder Sam Walton.
A popular Reddit thread posted the claim along with a purported image of the advertisement (archived), which spelled out the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, featured an illustration of the Statue of Liberty and included a list of grievances against ICE. The full ad read:
USA, USA, USA
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT #4
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the person or things to be seized.
The federal government has placed a mercenary army in our communities, masked and armed, detaining our neighbors and friends, wantonly damaging and destroying property, harming and killing people in our streets.
More than 70% of those taken have no criminal conviction. Men, women, children, and babies are being confined in windowless warehouses, sick and dying from neglect, beatings, and poor conditions.
Free the 70% of those in custody of ICE without a criminal conviction
Hold due process for those who remain
FREE THE PEOPLE
Find the People who have been deported to countries unfamiliar and unknown to them
FREE THE PEOPLE
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ONLY HAS THE POWERS LISTED IN THE CONSTITUTION
WITH THE PEACEFUL POWER OF THE PEOPLE
PARTICIPATE IN THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS
SHOW UP – STAND STRONG
Fine print at the bottom of the advertisement read: "Paid for by Christy Walton. 4honor.integrity@gmail.com. The views represented here are solely those of Christy Walton."
Another social media user posted an example of the claim on Instagram, as shown below.
In short, Snopes viewed the anti-ICE advertisement in the newspaper to confirm its authenticity and a spokesperson for Walton said via email that the billionaire paid for it. The ad appeared on Page 7 of the International section of the March 22, 2026, Sunday edition of The New York Times and, according to Walton's spokesperson, in
The ad also featured on its own webpage (archived) that linked to a November 2025 study (archived) by the Cato Institute, a Libertarian nonprofit organization. According to the study, 73% of ICE detainees had no criminal convictions. The website also featured links to the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. The bottom of the webpage read, "Paid for by Christy Walton."
In June 2025, Walton purchased an advertisment for the June 14, 2025, "No Kings" protest against President Donald Trump.
The March 2026 anti-ICE ad listed an email that matched the one in the June 2025 ad, which Snopes previously used to contact Walton's communications team and confirm her involvement in the "No Kings" advertisement.
Walmart did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the anti-ICE ad. In June 2025, regarding the "No Kings" advertisement, the company said via email that Walton's ads were "in no way connected to or endorsed by Walmart."
According to Forbes, Walton inherited a 1.9% stake in Walmart following the 2005 death of her husband in a plane crash.