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Who is Enrique Tarrio and did the Proud Boys founder join ICE? Here's what he said
Ex-Proud Boys chief Enrique Tarrio denied rumors he’s an ICE agent after a leak claim, called his viral post satire, and threatened legal action.
Enrique Tarrio, former 'national chair' of the far-right organization Proud Boys, was falsely rumored to be serving as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. The reports of Tarrio working as an ICE agent surfaced as part of an alleged database leak. Tarrio denied the claims and threatened legal action against media outlets that spread it.
But he rumors gained momentum after Tarrio sarcastically shared a post about the leak on X, suggesting "what a joy would it be to target the nannies and lawn workers of liberals." The post was run by NBC's Telemundo as news, sparking more attention on the issue.
In a later X post, Tarrio clarified that it was "obviously satire," and now, speaking to Newsweek, he said he could consider "legal options" against Telemundo.
Who Is Enrique Tarrio?
Enrique Tarrio, often also referred to as Henry, is a popular far-right activist who formerly served as the National Chairman of Proud Boys- male-only far-right organization. Proud Boys, was a key group in the January 6, 2021, incident at the US Capitol. Tarrio faced charges of seditious conspiracy related to the Jan 6 incidents.
What Enrique Tarrio Said About Joining The ICE
Enrique Tarrio first responded to the alleged list of ICE agents in which he was named in a post on X on January 15 (Wednesday). He appeared to joke about him joining the ICE and claimed that he has faced "death threats" since the list started going viral.
"A brothah needs those 50k. And what a joy would it be to target the nannies and lawn workers of liberals," he wrote. "You want to really get deportations going? Hire the F****** ProudBoys."
"On a serious note: I have received a heavy influx of death threats since these retards decided to post this. It’s their goal to spread disinfo so the IDIOTS that believe this take action."
Noticias Telemundo, a Spanish-language TV news channel affiliated with NBC, published the news first. Tarrio shared a screenshot of the news and hit back at the "mainstream media" for running with the story.
He again hit back at Telemundo and the media for publishing the story speaking to Newsweek. "If I'm suing the United States of America, it's very easy for me to sue media outlets that decided to publish this," he said.
Tarrio has previously confirmed to have worked as an FBI informant in an operation against a Mexican drug trafficking ring.
