In mid-July 2025, a rumor circulated online that U.S. President Donald Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, said: "Give me one good reason kids and seniors can't pick lettuce instead," an apparent reference to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids at farms.
A screenshot of an allegedly authentic Fox News chyron — text superimposed on the bottom of a news broadcast — with the aforementioned quote spread on Facebook, Bluesky and X.
Some posts seemed to take the image at face value. However, the image originated from the Facebook page of James Schlarmann, whose social media alias, @JamboSchlarmbo, appeared on the screenshot being circulated.
Schlarmann's "About" page on Facebook describes him as a "Satirist. Comedian." Schlarmann also posted the chyron on July 6, 2025, with the caption, "Give them a minute and this is what they'll suggest next," indicating that Homan did not, in fact, suggest that children and seniors should pick lettuce on American farms. Because of this, we've rated this claim as originating as satire.
While the quote accompanying the image is satirical in nature, Schlarmann took the image from an authentic Fox News appearance by Homan, although it is unclear which appearance exactly; the news service's website has used this image in multiple stories.
The satirical quote likely referenced sweeping immigration raids on American farms under Trump's administration and Homan. Trump's border czar said in June 2025 that immigration raids would continue on farms and hotels, despite previously announcing a pause on ICE raids that could hurt the agriculture and hospitality industries. Just days after Schlarmann made his satirical post involving Homan, a farmworker at a Southern California cannabis farm died following an immigration raid, his family told reporters.
Snopes frequently fact-checks Schlarmann's satirical chyrons; in fact, we write about him so often he's given us shoutouts in his social media posts.
For background, here is why we alert readers to rumors created by sources that call their output humorous or satirical.