A Mexican illegal alien who faked her own kidnapping to smear immigration authorities is facing federal charges — and Democrats helped spread the lie, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Remember that woman who Democrats and the media claimed was kidnapped from a parking lot by ICE, shoved into an unmarked car, held in a building, starved, to force her to self-deport???
Turns out she staged the entire “kidnapping”
She’s now facing criminal charges for… pic.twitter.com/QG7NrKWkWA
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) July 17, 2025
Yuriana Julia “Juli” Pelaez Calderon, 41, claimed she was abducted at gunpoint by ICE agents and held in a building against her will. The story went viral, thanks in part to Democrat leaders like Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who reposted the claims on X, calling the incident “absolutely chilling.”
However, according to federal investigators, none of it happened. Surveillance footage, cellphone records, and witness interviews revealed that Pelaez Calderon staged the entire ordeal.
“Liars like Pelaez Calderon are fueling an 830% increase in assaults against ICE,” DHS said in a statement. “This criminal illegal alien scammed innocent Americans for money. Politicians and activist media peddled these smears that were designed to demonize law enforcement.”
The hoax involved a press conference, viral social media posts, and a GoFundMe campaign that raised thousands of dollars before being taken down.
Pelaez Calderon now faces up to 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy and making false statements to federal officers.
Despite the hoax being fully debunked, Mayor Bass has not retracted or corrected her original post. Critics say this reflects a broader pattern of Democrats using unverified claims to attack immigration enforcement and push lenient border policies.
“The media and politicians who swallowed and pushed this garbage should be embarrassed,” DHS stated.