Have any named individuals linked to the Proud Boys been publicly confirmed on ICE payrolls or in ICE training rosters?
Executive summary
Available reporting shows a disputed leak that includes names tied to the Proud Boys — most prominently Enrique Tarrio — but major fact-checks and Tarrio’s own denials mean there is no independent, authoritative public confirmation that named Proud Boys members are on ICE payrolls or in ICE training rosters as of the reporting [1] [2] [3]. Independent outlets and fact-checkers have treated the list as contested and have reported false identification claims around Tarrio specifically [3] [4] [5].
1. The claim and the leak that sparked it
An online publication and watchdog outputs published a leaked roster said to contain roughly 4,500 names of Department of Homeland Security personnel tied to large deportation actions; that document — reported by La Voce di New York and circulated on social platforms — reportedly included the name “Enrique Tarrio,” formerly a Proud Boys leader, which ignited immediate social-media circulation [1] [6].
2. How the claim spread on social media and the immediate reactions
The leaked roster snippet and screenshots were posted widely on X and other platforms with users asserting Tarrio and other Proud Boys affiliates were now ICE agents, and commentators amplified the allegation amid protests and outrage over ICE actions; the Canary and social posts captured the rapid spread of those assertions [6] [1].
3. Major fact-checking outlets contradicted the social-media narrative
Multiple fact-checking organizations and mainstream news services investigated the claim and concluded the specific identification of Tarrio as an ICE officer was false or unproven: the Associated Press published a fact-focus labeling the claim false, WRAL and US News ran similar fact-checks, and Lead Stories found Tarrio did not say he worked for ICE and that a leaked list entry labeled him a “propagandist/agitator,” not an authenticated employee record [3] [4] [5] [2].
4. Tarrio’s public responses and context from reporting
According to Lead Stories reporting, Tarrio initially reacted sarcastically to the social-media claim and subsequently denied being an ICE employee, a denial that fact-checkers cited when evaluating the veracity of the leaked list’s entry [2]. The public record also notes Tarrio’s high-profile role in organizing Proud Boys activity around January 6, which explains why a name like his would attract immediate attention in any leaked roster [1].
5. Broader concerns about recruiting, hiring standards, and political context
Independent coverage and analysts have flagged broader worries that recent recruitment drives and messaging at ICE under the current administration risk attracting far‑right sympathizers, and lawmakers and watchdogs have publicly raised concerns about whether convicted January 6 participants or extremist sympathizers might be drawn into or already working in the agency — concerns reported by PBS and The Guardian that provide context for why the leaked list generated alarm [7] [8].
6. What the public record actually confirms and where it does not
What is publicly verifiable in the cited reporting is: a leaked roster circulated and included “Enrique Tarrio” in some captured screenshots [1]; fact-checkers and news organizations report that the specific claim Tarrio is an ICE officer is false or unproven and that Tarrio himself denied employment [3] [4] [5] [2]. What is not confirmed in the available reporting is an independent, verifiable ICE payroll or training roster entry, released or authenticated by ICE or DHS, that definitively places any named Proud Boys members on official agency payrolls or in training rosters; reporting instead shows dispute, denial, and contextual concern rather than authoritative confirmation [3] [2] [7].
7. Alternative interpretations and implicit agendas
Two plausible readings of the record coexist in the sources: one, the leaked list could indicate a genuine shift in personnel composition at ICE that merits scrutiny and oversight — the interpretation pressed by watchdogs and critics in PBS and The Guardian [7] [8]; two, the roster or its excerpts may be erroneous, manipulated, or misinterpreted, as fact-checkers and Tarrio’s denials suggest, meaning social-media amplification produced a false narrative [3] [2]. Both impulses — public concern about agency hiring and the risk of misinformation — have clear political valences and should be treated as distinct but related issues [8] [7].
8. Bottom line
Based on cited reporting, no named Proud Boys individual has been publicly confirmed on ICE payrolls or training rosters by an authoritative government disclosure; the most prominent name cited in the leak, Enrique Tarrio, appears in contested leaked screenshots and has been the subject of multiple fact-checks that concluded the claim he is an ICE officer is false or unproven [1] [3] [2].