False Claim of $5,000 Gift Cards to Migrants Debunked

Pinal County Sheriff and Republican Senate candidate Mark Lamb recently claimed that undocumented migrants are receiving $5,000 gift cards, cell phones, and airline tickets from the U.S. government after crossing the southern border. This statement, shared in a video on his Senate campaign account, suggests migrants are being generously rewarded while average Americans struggle financially.

However, this claim lacks substantiation. U.S. Customs and Border Protection refuted the existence of any such program involving gift cards. The Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were also reached out to for comments.

Lamb, as reported by The Epoch Times, cited unnamed “close sources” at the border for this information. He later suggested that these gifts might be distributed by charities, not directly by the government, but this remains unverified.

While the U.S. government does fund certain charities aiding migrants, there’s no evidence they provide $5,000 gift cards. Migrants do receive mobile phones for tracking purposes, equipped with SmartLink software, but these devices are restricted from internet access or unauthorized communications.

Lamb, known for supporting former President Donald Trump’s unfounded election fraud claims and dubbed the “QAnon Sheriff,” is competing for Arizona’s Senate seat against fellow Republicans and Democrats. His claim about migrant gift cards, lacking credible evidence, is deemed false.