(C) Common Dreams
This story was originally published by Common Dreams and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .



Fact Check: Laura Loomer posts about feeding 'illegals' to alligators are real [1]

[]

Date: 2025-08

Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.

Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.

Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways

Claim:

On June 30, 2025, right-wing influencer Laura Loomer made two X posts suggesting detainees at Florida’s new "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention center would be fed to alligators.

Rating:

Rating: Correct Attribution

In late June and early July 2025, internet users shared screenshots of two purported X posts by right-wing influencer Laura Loomer that called for feeding "illegals" to alligators. The posts were allegedly referencing the creation of a new immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades, dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" by officials.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

Screenshots on platforms including Instagram and YouTube showed what appeared to be a post from Loomer's X account that stated:

Alligator Alcatraz Feeding illegals to the gators. We need more of this energy.

Internet users additionally spread the claim that Loomer also posted, "Alligator lives matter. The good news is, alligators are guaranteed at least 65 million meals if we get started now." One post on Bluesky shared an alleged screenshot of the post showing a June 30, 2025 date stamp, adding, "The entire Latino population in the U.S. is 65 million. She means all of us."

(Bluesky user ‪@elnorterecuerda)

Snopes readers also asked us to confirm these alleged posts from Loomer.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

The above posts from Loomer are authentic and appeared on her verified X accounts on June 30, 2025. As such, we rate this as a correct attribution.

Loomer made the above posts on her X account (archived here and here).

As internet users speculated, Loomer's posts indeed referred to the "Alligator Alcatraz" detention center. The first group of immigrant detainees was scheduled to arrive at the center on July 2, 2025. On the same day, Florida's Attorney General James Uthmeier wrote on X: "Alligator Alcatraz will be checking in hundreds of criminal illegal aliens tonight. Next stop: back to where they came from."

In her X post about feeding alligators 65 million meals, many speculated that Loomer was talking about the entire Hispanic population of the U.S, which as of July 2023, was around 65 million. However, in response to the accusations, Loomer said she was referring to 65 million "illegal aliens":

There 100% are 65 million illegal aliens living in the US. We have been told 20 million illegals are living in the US since Ronald Reagan was President in the 1980s. Another 20 million (at least) came in under Joe Biden. Add in all of the illegals who came in under Clinton, Bush and Obama as well. Now add all of their kids. Those people reproduce like rabbits. Add in the 2 million got aways under Biden. The real number ends up being close to 65 million. We literally have 65 million illegals in the US. Do the math.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

We should note that Pew Research found the number of immigrants illegally in the U.S. was closer to 11 million as of 2022.

Loomer also doubled down on her post about feeding "illegals" to alligators, writing alongside a screenshot of the same post: "What's wrong with feeding the alligators?"

The influencer has a history of making racist and false statements, as well as peddling conspiracy theories like claiming the 9/11 attacks were an "inside job" by the U.S. government. She supported President Donald Trump during the 2024 election. She also met with him, and according to The New York Times, was the driving force behind his recent firings of top National Security Council officials.

We previously covered how Loomer promoted a death hoax about former President Jimmy Carter.

Sources:

Hispanic Heritage Month: 2024. U.S. Census Bureau, 15 Aug. 2024, https://www.census.gov/newsroom/facts-for-features/2024/hispanic-heritage-month.html. Accessed 3 July 2025.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

"A Look at Laura Loomer, Longtime Trump Ally Criticized for Racist Posts and Sept. 11 Conspiracies." AP News, 3 Apr. 2025, https://apnews.com/article/who-is-laura-loomer-trump-national-security-council-f7bc493ae99014362875e5d390769477. Accessed 3 July 2025.

Allison, Natalie, and Meridith McGraw. " Trump Ally Laura Loomer Swatted down after Posting Bigoted Attack on Harris." Politico, 11 Sep. 2024, https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/11/laura-loomer-trump-mtg-00178815. Accessed 3 July 2025.

"Everglades "Alligator Alcatraz" Immigrant Detention Center to Receive First Arrivals." CBS Miami. 2 Jul. 2025, https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/first-group-of-immigrants-set-to-arrive-at-alligator-alcatraz-immigrant-detention-center-in-everglades/. Accessed 3 July 2025.

Haberman, Maggie, et al. "Trump Fires 6 N.S.C. Officials After Oval Office Meeting With Laura Loomer." The New York Times, 3 Apr. 2025. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/03/us/politics/trump-meeting-laura-loomer.html. Accessed 3 July 2025.

Advertisement Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

Krogstad, Jens Manuel and Jeffrey S. Passel. "The Number of Unauthorized Immigrants in the U.S. Grew from 2019 to 2022." Pew Research Center, 22 Jul. 2024, https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/07/22/what-we-know-about-unauthorized-immigrants-living-in-the-us/sr_24-07-22_unauthorizedimmigrants_1/. Accessed 3 July 2025.

"Laura Loomer: Conspiracy Theorist Who Met Trump before He Fired NSC Officials." BBC, 4 Apr. 2025, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly8y27dwgpo. Accessed 3 July 2025.

Liles, Jordan. "Jimmy Carter Death Hoax Promoted by NY Post, Laura Loomer and Others." Snopes, 23 Jul. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/carter-death-hoax-letter/. Accessed 3 July 2025.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.yahoo.com/news/fact-check-laura-loomer-posts-214800620.html

Published and (C) by Common Dreams
Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 3.0..

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/commondreams/

You are viewing proxied material from magical.fish. The copyright of proxied material belongs to its original authors. Any comments or complaints in relation to proxied material should be directed to the original authors of the content concerned. Please see the disclaimer for more details.