In January 2026, after a reported data leak containing the identities of around 4,500 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol employees, a claim (archived) circulated online that Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the
One X user who posted the claim wrote, "Proud Boy Leader / Convicted Felon Enrique Tarrio, Is one of Trump's Nazi ICE Agents. Imagine That."
The claim also circulated on Facebook (archived), Threads (archived), Bluesky (archived) and Reddit (archived). Snopes readers wrote in asking if the claim was true.
Many people who made the claim shared screenshots (archived) purportedly from ICEList.is,
The screenshots showing Tarrio's name on the ICEList.is database were authentic, meaning not generated by artificial intelligence. However, a spokesperson for ICEList.is said via email that the database included more classifications than just ICE agents. The spokesperson wrote:
Tarrio is listed as a propagandist agitator, not an agent, as it says in his profile, it also says that the agency is not applicable, so no, he is not an ICE agent. We want to track those who spread propaganda, and those who play out stunts of provocation, as well as agents.
ICE generally does not reveal the identity of its agents, who often appear in public wearing masks to obscure their faces. However, Tricia McLaughlin, the Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary for public affairs, wrote in an emailed statement that Tarrio "was never hired by ICE." Tarrio himself wrote (archived) on X that a post (archived) that appeared to suggest he worked for the agency was satire. Therefore, we rate this claim false.
In response to claims circulating online, Tarrio wrote (archived) on X on Jan. 14, 2026:
I F***ING WISH I WORKED FOR ICE.
A brothah needs those 50k. And what a joy would it be to target the nannies and lawn workers of liberals. You want to really get deportations going? Hire the F***ING ProudBoys.
On a serious note: I have received a heavy influx of death threats since these
r****ds decided to post this. It's their goal to spread disinfo so the IDIOTS that believe this take action. I've also received many media requests from mainstream outlets. They didn't even bother to look at the names listed. If they did they'd see it's in order by last names and mine isn't. You can't hate these people enough. They belong in prison!
Tarrio was correct that ICEList.is appeared to have formatted his name differently from some of the others listed. The ICEList.is spokesperson said the formatting of Tarrio's name was "simply an oversight."
Additionally, Tarrio's page on ICEList.is showed that the database last modified his page on Dec. 1, 2025, more than a month before the reported January 2026 data leak that online users claimed his name featured in
Tarrio, originally from Miami, was national chairman of the Proud Boys between November 2018 and September 2021, according to reports.
He received a 22-year prison sentence in 2023 for seditious conspiracy and other charges related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. In January 2025, Tarrio walked free after President Donald Trump's sweeping clemency grant to more than 1,500 people charged with crimes in the Jan. 6 riot.
Snopes previously reported on a false claim that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testified to Congress that Republicans voted to allow ICE to hire people who participated in the Jan. 6 riot.