Tag Archives: Customs and Border Protection

Are Tanks + IFVs Being Sent To Protect Texas Border?!

Are M1A1 tanks and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles being sent to protect the Texas border against illegal immigrants?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Claim : Tanks + IFVs Are Being Sent To Protect Texas Border!

On 1 February 2024, Real Raw News posted an article (archive) claiming that M1A1 tanks and Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) are being sent to protect the Texas border against illegal immigrants!

As usual, the article is long, rambling and confusing, so here is an excerpt. Please feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

White Hats Send Armor to Border

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Tanks + IFVs Are Not Being Sent To Protect Texas Border!

The truth is – this is just another fake story created by Real Raw News, just to generate page views and money.

Fact #1 : Tanks + IFVs Are Not Being Sent To Protect Texas Border!

This is really silly, but it has to be said – the 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss is not sending two M1A1 tank platoons, with Bradley IFVs to protect the Texas border against asylum seekers and migrants.

Why on Earth would armoured forces be needed to protect the border against unarmed men, women, and children???

What will Real Raw News claim next? That the US Navy is sending battleships and aircraft carriers to take on illegal immigrants???

Fact #2 : Two Children + Their Mother Drowned

Real Raw News claimed that a mother and a child drowned in while trying to cross the Rio Grande in early January 2024. That’s not accurate.

The incident did not occur in early January as Real Raw News claimed, but in mid January – on the night of 12 January 2024, to be precise. In addition, three people died, not two as Real Raw News claimed – a mother and her two children.

Victerma de la Sancha Cerros (33), her daughter Yore Rubi (10) and son, Jonathan Agustin (8), drowned while trying to cross the Rio Grande near Shelby Park. Another two migrants in that group – Monica de la Sancha Cerros (30) and her son, Victor Antonio (10) were rescued by Mexican officials.

Fact #3 : Texas Officials Blocked Access To US Border Patrol

At 8 PM of that tragic night, Mexican officials alerted the US Border Patrol about two migrants in distress on the US side of the river, near the Shelby Park boat ramp. When a Border Patrol agent arrived to help, personnel from the Texas Military Department refused the agent access to the park.

In court filings, Chief Border Patrol Agent Robert Danley said that federal agents were not permitted to visually monitor the Shelby Park area when the three deaths and two rescues happened. He also said Texas officials blocked mobile video surveillance inside the park’s area that can find migrants in distress.

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Fact #4 : Mutiny Carries A Death Penalty Sentence

It is ridiculous to claim that the US military would deploy forces in opposition to the current Administration. The US military is subservient to the US civilian leadership, which is currently the Biden Administration under US President Joe Biden.

Deploying military troops without a direct order by the Biden Administration would be mutiny under Article 94 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). If those troops actually engaged in violence, it would also be considered an insurrection / rebellion.

Military personnel committing mutiny would be subject to a court martial, and those found guilty shall be punished by death or other alternative punishments that the court martial may decide.

Fact #5 : Real Raw News Is A Fake News Website

Real Raw News is a fake news website that capitalises on making shocking but fake stories to generate page views and money.

To protect himself from legal repercussions, the owner and writer, Michael Baxter (real name – Michael Tuffin), claims that his articles are “humour, parody, and satire“.

That disclaimer, which is not clearly mentioned in his articles, lets him keep creating fake news to go viral, and generate money.

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A March 2018 screenshot of Michael Tuffin, who goes by the pseudonym Michael Baxter

His articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should NEVER share anything from his website. Here are some of his fake stories that I debunked earlier:

Everything posted by Real Raw News should be regarded as FAKE NEWS, until proven otherwise.

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

 

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Were Marines + Army Rangers Just Sent To Texas Border?!

Did General Eric M. Smith just send Marines and Army Rangers to join the Texas National Guard protecting the border?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Claim : Marines + Army Rangers Were Sent To Texas Border!

On 27 January 2024, Real Raw News posted an article (archive) claiming that General Eric M. Smith just sent Marines and Army Rangers to join the Texas National Guard protecting the border!

As usual, the article is long, rambling and confusing, so here is an excerpt. Please feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

A White Hat convoy carrying crates of rifles and spools of razor wire arrived in Eagle Pass, Texas, Friday afternoon to support the Texas National Guard in its regional border dispute with unlawful federal forces, a source in General Eric M. Smith’s office told Real Raw News.

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Truth : Marines + Army Rangers Were Not Sent To Texas Border… Yet!

The truth is – this is just another FAKE STORY created by Real Raw News, just to generate page views and money.

Fact #1 : Real Raw News Is A Fake News Website

Real Raw News is a fake news website that capitalises on making shocking but fake stories to generate page views and money.

To protect himself from legal repercussions, the owner and writer, Michael Baxter (real name – Michael Tuffin), claims that his articles are “humour, parody, and satire“.

That disclaimer, which is not clearly mentioned in his articles, lets him keep creating fake news to go viral, and generate money.

His articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should NEVER share anything from his website. Here are some of his fake stories that I debunked earlier:

Everything posted by Real Raw News must be regarded as FAKE NEWS, until proven otherwise.

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A March 2018 screenshot of Michael Tuffin, who goes by the pseudonym Michael Baxter

Fact #2 : Marines + Army Rangers Were Not Sent To Texas Border

This is really silly, but it has to be said – US Marines and Army Rangers were not sent to the Texas border to support Governor Greg Abbott’s refusal to comply with a recent US Supreme Court ruling, allowing US Border Patrol agents to remove razor wire placed on the Texas border.

Neither were any US Marine or Army Ranger instructed to wear the uniform of the Texas National Guard to “show solidarity”. That’s just utter nonsense.

Such an action would have been considered mutiny, and it would have been covered extensively by the US mainstream media, if not news organisations all over the world.

Yet, no legitimate media outlet reported such a shocking story? That’s because it never happened. It was all made up.

Fact #3 : Mutiny Carries A Death Penalty Sentence

The US military is subservient to the US civilian leadership, which is currently the Biden Administration under US President Joe Biden. Deploying military troops without a direct order by the Biden Administration would be mutiny under Article 94 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).

Military personnel committing mutiny would be subject to a court martial, and those found guilty shall be punished by death or other alternative punishments that the court martial may decide.

Fact #4 : US Marine Generals Don’t Command Army Rangers

The Real Raw News writer does not appear to understand the basic concept of the military chain of command, or the fact that the United States has multiple uniformed services.

General Eric M. Smith is the 39th commandant of the US Marine Corps, which is just one of eight uniformed services in the United States. He only has command over the US Marine Corps, but not the other uniformed services like the Army, Navy, Air Force, etc.

In short – it is simply impossible for General Eric M. Smith to order US Army Rangers to do anything. The Rangers are part of the US Army, which is a completely different uniformed service.

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Fact #4 : US Military Have Been Deployed To Help DHS

The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the federal agency in charge of the border at Texas and other US states.

The US military have been deployed to the Texas border on several occasions by the civilian administration of the day – in 2018 under President Trump, and in 2023 under President Biden. However, they were always there to assist the CBP, with the CBP deciding on where those Marines were deployed, and how they could assist.

The Real Raw News, on the other hand, is claiming that US Marines and US Army Rangers were deployed to help the Texas National Guard fight against the CBP. That’s just utter nonsense. If any US Marines were to be deployed in 2024, it would certainly be to help the CBP, not to fight against them.

Everything posted by Real Raw News should be regarded as FAKE NEWS.

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Are Chinese Students Being Harassed + Banned From US?!

Are Chinese students being harassed by US government, with some having their visas revoked and given a 5-year ban?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Claim : Chinese Students Are Being Harassed + Banned From US!

CCP supporters, as well as the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), are sharing and promoting a video, which claims that Chinese students trying to enter the United States are being harassed, with some having their visas revoked and given a 5-year ban!

Here is a transcript of what was said, or posted, in the viral video, which may be AI-generated:

Can China-US Student Exchanges Survive Geopolitics?

Chinese reporter : Do you think Chinese students are spies?

US Ambassador to China : Chinese students are welcome in the United States.

But the harsh reality endured by Chinese students is the opposite of welcoming.

The Chinese embassy in the US has exposed a story illustrating how US border control officials systematically harass Chinese students. Extensive checks on every electronic device.

A Yale PHD candidate recently endured an 8-hour interrogation as authorities probed his study connection with the Chinese government. Despite finding no evidence, they revoked his student visa anyway for five years.

And Canada is not better, as the Canadian Federal Court has stretched the definition of espionage out so far that, in its application, a Chinese student has been barred from entering Canada simply because his field of study is microfluids, a promising high-tech field in health.

If you are a Chinese student who studies abroad in a field of innovation, the sad fact is you risk being called a spy.

Don’t be fooled by the rhetoric that you are entering a “free society”. You are entering an anti-China society.

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Truth : US Is Blocking Entry To Chinese Students With PLA Links

This appears to be yet another example of propaganda created or promoted by CCP supporters and/or the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Not All Chinese People Live In China

First, let me just point out that there are people of Chinese ethnicity all over the world, many in Asian countries like Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia; as well as Western countries like the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

There are also millions of Chinese people living in the Republic of China – Taiwan, which is not governed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that is controlling mainland China.

To be clear – the video is referring only to students from the People’s Republic of China, and not Chinese students from other countries.

Fact #2 : China Still Sends The Most Students To US

I should also point out that, even in 2023, students from China continue to be the largest group of foreign students pursuing education in the United States.

The US State Department granted more than 600,000 international student visas in the 2023 fiscal year, of which 289,526 visas were awarded to students from China (source).

In other words, the statistics belie the claim that the United States isn’t welcoming students from China. The vast majority of students from China do not have any issue entering the United States.

Fact #3 : It Was Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Complaint

Although the video claimed that the Chinese embassy in the US “exposed” the story, I cannot find any evidence of that. Instead, it appears that Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin first spoke about it during a regular press conference in Beijing on Thursday, 4 January 2024.

That was later posted (archive) on the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affair’s official page on X (formerly Twitter). The Chinese Embassy in US then shared the short statement, with a comment the next day – 5 January 2024 (archive):

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Fact #4 : Presidential Proclamation 10043 Blocks PLA-Associated Students

What the viral video does not mention is that these few students were interrogated on entry, and then blocked or banned from entering the United States, because they were deemed to be associated with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

On 29 May 2020, then President Donald Trump issued Presidential Proclamation 10043 (PDF), which prohibits students from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) from obtaining F visas, or J visas, if they are associated with the People’s Liberation Army.

It was issued at that time because the US government determined that the PRC was using “some Chinese students, mostly post-graduate students and post-doctorate researchers, to operate as non-traditional collectors of intellectual property“, in particular those who “are or have been associated with the PLA“.

In September 2020, more than 1,000 Chinese students had their visas cancelled by Presidential Proclamation 10043. Regardless of the merits of this Presidential Proclamation, it is limited to a relatively small number of students from China, who have been determined to have some association with the PLA.

Fact #5 : Visas Can Be Revoked At Any Time

Even though these postgraduate students have a valid student visa, it can be revoked at any time, even upon entry into the United States, as stated in the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act:

After the issuance of a visa or other documentation to any alien, the consular officer or the Secretary of State may at any time, in his discretion, revoke such visa or other documentation. Notice of such revocation shall be communicated to the Attorney General, and such revocation shall invalidate the visa or other documentation from the date of issuance… There shall be no means of judicial review …

This isn’t a uniquely American law either. Other countries, including China, retain the right to revoke any visas they may have issued, at any time they wish.

Brief Introduction of Visa for China (Mainland Only)
2023-05-14 20:19

In accordance with international law and practice, any sovereign state is entitled to decide on whether or not to allow a foreign citizen to enter or exit from its territory, and whether to issue a visa, decline a visa application or to cancel an issued visa in accordance with its national laws.

Chinese consular officials are entitled to decide on the type, number of entries, validity and duration of each stay of a visa to be issued based on Chinese laws and regulations. Consular officials reserve the right to decline a visa application or revoke an issued visa.

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Fact #6 : US Conducts Warrantless Search At Border

Sadly, the US constitutional rights against “unreasonable searches and seizures” stops at the border. The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has broad authority to search and seize electronic devices at the border.

That’s because the US Supreme Court has concluded that “routine” border searches are “not subject to any requirement of reasonable suspicion, probably cause, or warrant‘ (source).

This isn’t limited to students from China, or even foreigners as a whole. The power to search electronic devices at the border also extends to US citizens and permanent residents!

Fact #7 : West Has More Freedom Than China

The truth is these visa woes affect only a small percentage of students from China, in particular postgraduate students who have some kind of association with the People’s Liberation Army.

This does not mean that Western countries have less freedom than China – a notably authoritarian country with severe censorship and restrictions on freedom of speech, assembly and religion. Never mind the right to criticise their leaders, people in China don’t even have freedom to access YouTube or Facebook or Instagram!

So it is truly laughable that anyone would use this student visa restriction as “evidence” that Western countries are not a “free society”. Being a “free society” does not mean having an “open border”.

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Fact #8 : This Is Just CCP Propaganda

This is just ultimately just another example of CCP propaganda, created / spread by pro-CCP supporters and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛). Here are other examples:

Please help us fight fake news – SHARE this article, and SUPPORT our work!

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

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